THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


LIFE 


OF 


MME.  DE  LA  ROCHEFOUCAULD. 
t 

DUCHESS  OF  DOUDEAUVILLE, 


FOUNDER  OF  THE 


SOCIETY  OF   NAZARETH. 


Translated  from  the  French. 


BOSTON : 

HOUGHTON,  OSGOOD  AND  COMPANY. 
Htoerfittie  Press,  CamfcriUge. 

1878. 


.    . 


COPYRIGHT,  1878, 
Bv  HOUGHTON,  OSGOOD  &  CO. 

All  rights  reserved. 


RIVERSIDE,  CAMBRIDGE: 

STEREOTYPED     AND   PRINTED   BY 
H.  O.  HOUGHTON   AND   COMPANY. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  MADEMOISELLE  DE  MONTMIRAIL      .        .        5 

II.  THE  CHRISTIAN  IN  THE  WORLD        .           37 

III.  APOSTLESHIP  IN  THE  FAMILY  ...      65 

IV.  DURING  THE  REVOLUTION    ...         92 
V.  COUNSELS  TO  HER  DAUGHTER  .        .        .    136 

VI.  DEATH  OF  MADAME  DE  RASTIGNAC     .        184 

VII.    PRIVATE  LIFE 212 

VIII.    NAZARETH 250 

IX.  HOPES  AND  FAMILY  GRIEFS     .       .       .286 

X.    REST  IN  GOD 311 


LIFE 

OF 

MADAME  DE  LA  ROCHEFOUCAULD. 


CHAPTER  I. 

MADEMOISELLE   DE    MONTMIRAIL. 

IT  is  not  without  a  feeling  of  respectful 
fear  that  we  dare  to  raise  the  veil  from  a 
life  full  of  holy  mysteries  which  humility 
has  always  kept  carefully  hidden.  ,  She, 
whom  the  Lord  had  prevented  with  many 
graces  from  her  earliest  years,  concealed 
so  well  everything  which  might  attract 
consideration,  that  her  children,  her  inti- 
mate friends,  snatched  from  her  only  with 
difficulty,  and  as  if  by  surprise,  some  of 
her  sublime  secrets.  If,  in  order  to  win 
from  her  one  of  these  desired  communica- 
tions, you  anticipated  her  by  making  a  con- 


6       Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

fidence,  she  would  answer  at  times  with  the 
same  abandonment,  betraying  herself  un- 
consciously, for  from  the  simplest  confes- 
sion flashed  the  mild  brightness  which 
reveals  the  precious  stone.  But  one  had 
to  be  very  careful  that  no  expression  of 
admiration  escaped  him,  else  would  he  have 
saddened  a  heart  which  had  no  inclination 
but  for  hidden  virtue. 

We  know  then  but  little  of  this  long  ex- 
istence, which  scored  by  sad  trials,  shaken 
by  violent  storms,  yet  remained  always 
calm  and  serene,  because  it  ran  on  pure 
and  strong,  under  the  eye  of  God.  And 
even  this  little  that  we  know  we  cannot 
give  entire,  because,  to  reveal  the  heroism 
of  this  soul,  its  patience,  its  magnanimity, 
we  must  discover  wrongs  done  against  her 
of  which  she  never  spoke. 

Benigne-Augustine-Frangoise  le  Teillier 
de  Louvois  de  Montmirail  was  born  at 
Paris  the  fourth  of  June,  1764.  She  was 
daughter  to  the  Marquis  of  Montmirail,  a 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      7 

man  of  great  merit,  and  a  distinguished 
pupil  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Company  of  Je- 
sus. He  had  married  Mademoiselle  de  Bre- 
tonvilliers,  then  widow  of  the  Marquis  of 
Saint  Aulain.  The  happiness  of  this  sec- 
ond union  was  of  short  duration,  for  after 
aiding  M.  de  Buffon  in  the  composition  of 
his  Natural  History,  the  young  marquis,  as 
brilliant  knight  as  learned  scholar,  went 
into  the  army  and  died  there  at  the  mo- 
ment when  he  was  about  to  taste,  for  the 
second  time,  the  sweetness  of  paternity. 
This  was  a  great  family  grief.  All  hopes 
were  then  turned  upon  the  expected  child  ; 
they  asked  themselves  if  he  would  not  be 
heir  to  the  name,  and  the  numerous  acces- 
sories of  his  ancestors,  and  nothing  could 
better  paint  the  natural  and  most  legiti- 
mate desires  of  these  great  lords,  than  a 
speech  of  the  Mare'chal  d'Estre'es  :  learning 
that  the  decisive  hour  approached,  he  said 
to  his  servants  :  "  If  it  is  a  boy,  burst  open 
all  the  doors,  and  come  and  tell  me;  if 


8       Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

it  is  a  girl,  let  me  sleep."  Probably  they 
did  not  trouble  the  sleep  of  the  old  soldier, 
for  the  marchioness  gave  birth  to  a  second 
daughter,  who,  after  being  a  friend  for  her 
sister,  and  the  companion  of  her  studies,  is 
to  become  later  Madame  de  Montesquiou. 

It  was  thus  upon  the  elder  daughter  that 
the  hope  of  all  returned.  If,  in  the  midst 
of  their  delusion,  the  noble  parents  of  this 
dear  child  had  caught  but  a  glimpse  of  her 
destiny,  they  would  surely  have  kneeled 
down  by  the  cradle  where  slept  the  com- 
forting angel,  the  support,  the  preserver  of 
her  family 

All  that  this  world  holds  of  most  seduc- 
tive seemed  to  combine  in  an  offering  to 
this  delicious  little  creature :  brilliant  for- 
tune, a  remarkable  beauty,  a  princely  po- 
sition. Nothing  that  can  dazzle  was  lack- 
ing, and  there  was  that  to  make  one  trem- 
ble, if  the  elect  of  earth  had  not  been  first 
of  all  a  chosen  one  of  heaven.  The  gifts 
of  grace,  happily,  far  surpassed  those  of 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.       9 

nature;  the  love  of  God  penetrated  this 
child-heart,  to  illuminate  the  first  rays  of 
intelligence.  From  the  moment  that  she 
could  fold  her  hands  and  lisp  the  names  of 
Jesus  and  of  Mary,  she  did  it  with  such 
grace  and  sweetness,  that  one  would  have 
said  an  angel  prayed. 

They  had  consecrated  her  to  the  blessed 
Virgin,  whose  white  garments  she'  wore. 
When  she  was  three  years  old,  Madame  de 
Mancini,  her  grandmother,  promising  her- 
self a  fete  in  giving  her  the  first  colored 
dress,  ordered  a  superb  frock,  —  pink,  with 
silver  spangles  and  fringes.  Thinking  to 
delight  her,  they  brought  the  frock  into  her 
room  with  pomp,  to  the  great  admiration 
of  all  the  women  ;  but  the  dear  child,  as  if 
she  knew  already  the  bliss  of  wearing  a  ce- 
lestial livery,  fixed  her  great  black  eyes 
sadly  on  the  sumptuous  apparel,  and  shed 
abundant  tears  when  they  wished  to  dress 
her  in  it.  All  the  day  she  begged  for  her 
white  clothes,  and  they  had  to  give  them 
back  to  her. 


io      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

One  day,  her  maid  coming  to  wake  her 
up,  found  her  radiant  in  her  little  bed. 
"  Oh  !  nurse,"  she  said,  "  how  beautiful  it 
is !  Let  me  see  it  again  ;  it  is  heaven  and 
the  Holy  Virgin  !  How  beautiful.  ...  I 
shall  go  some  day." 

There  were  signs  of  predestination  here. 
Let  us  see  how  God  sets  about  fortifying 
the  souls  which  He  has  chosen. 

This  infancy,  so  beautiful  in  its  open- 
ing, so  rich  in  the  gifts  of  heaven  and  of 
earth,  ran  on  sadly,  notwithstanding:  the 
father,  wise  and  good,  was  not  there  to 
watch  over  his  girls,  and  Madame  de  Mont- 
mirail,  although  animated  by  excellent  in- 
tention, could  not  replace  him.  Young, 
beautiful,  elegantly  clever,  haughty,  she 
knew  how  to  preserve  a  reputation  beyond 
criticism,  a  thing  rare  and  difficult  in  her 
position  at  the  time  when  she  lived.  Her 
original  character  presented  odd  contrasts. 
Noble,  generous  in  her  dealings,  she  was 
specially  charitable  towards  the  poor,  to 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      1 1 

whom  she  always  gave  freely,  even  after 
the  emigration,  when  her  fortune  was  sen- 
sibly diminished  ;  but  her  private  conduct 
offered  singular  minglings,  —  contradic- 
tions, which  are  explained  only  by  the  false 
direction  given  to  her  youth.  In  the  bosom 
of  a  parliamentary  family  she  had  imbibed 
Jansenist  principles,  and  withal  she  sur- 
rounded herself  with  Jesuits.  She  liked  the 
great  world,  pleasure ;  and  in  the  country 
she  brought  together  the  people  of  the 
neighborhood  —  nay,  even  the  peasants,  — 
and  skipped  about  with  them  all  the  even- 
ing, as  simple  and  joyous  as  a  child.  She 
thought,  in  the  light  of  duty,  that  the  dan- 
cing should  be  over  at  ten  o'clock,  but  find- 
ing it  to  her  taste  that  it  should  last  until 
midnight,  she  put  back  the  clocks  two  hours. 
This  went  on  for  a  long  time  without  aston- 
ishment being  evinced,  when  people  found 
the  night  so  far  advanced,  on  getting  home. 
She  had  an  especial  dress  for  going  to 
confession,  and  as  at  that  time  they  were 


1 2      Madame  de  la  RocJiefoucauld. 

particular  that  the  clothing  should  change 
with  the  season,  she  had  to  have  four 
toilets  entirely  set  apart  for  this  pious  prac- 
tice. 

On  the  eve  of  her  communions,  she 
fasted  and  spent  the  day  in  profound  re- 
treat ;  then,  in  setting  forth  for  mass,  she 
would  turn  and  say  to  her  women  :  "  May 
God  pardon  you,  young  women,  as  I  pardon 
you."  Thinking  in  this  way  to  have  com- 
plied with  the  precept  of  charity,  she  ap- 
proached the  holy  eucharist  with  faith. 

The  marchioness  carried  the  same  pe- 
culiarity into  the  management  of  her  chil- 
dren. She  took  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
about  it,  but  her  system  of  education  was 
severe  to  harshness.  Mademoiselle  de 
Montmirail  suffered  from  it  more  than  her 
sister.  The  latter,  playful  by  nature,  had 
the  art  of  disarming  her  mother  by  a  rep- 
artee, thus  saving  her  from  the  remorse  of 
having  been  unjust,  while  little  Augustine, 
timid,  fearful,  embarrassed,  stood  speech- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      1 3 

less  through  these  freaks  of  temper  which 
she  did  n't  understand.  Her  tears  fell  si- 
lently, and  the  marchioness,  feeling  a  re- 
proach for  her  hasty  behaviour,  became 
more  irritated  than  ever. 

Exaggerating  the  best  systems  of  educa- 
tion, she  chose  to  oblige  her  children  to  eat 
everything,  and  that,  without  exception,  in 
spite  of  the  protest  of  temperament ;  hence, 
the  younger  was  shut  up  a  whole  day  with 
a  plate  of  carrots,  and  did  n't  leave  her 
prison  until  she  had  eaten  the  whole. 
Mademoiselle  Augustine  had  an  uncon- 
querable dislike  for  onions.  She  took 
obediently  what  her  mother  had  given  her, 
but  if  her  will  was  submissive,  the  stomach 
showed  itself  rebellious ;  then  pitilessly 
they  forced  the  poor  child  to  take  back  the 
rejected  food.  There  was  this  other  thing 
that  tortured  her,  —  when  her  mother,  rais- 
ing her  voice,  would  say  to  her  suddenly  : 

"  Speak,  mademoiselle,  say  something  at 
once." 


14      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

At  this  unseasonable  order,  the  dear 
little  girl  troubled,  struck  dumb,  was  be- 
reft of  voice  and  words.  A  second  injunc- 
tion finished  the  confusion  of  her  ideas  ; 
tears  got  the  better  of  her,  and  for  her  con- 
solation the  marchioness  would  add  :  — 

"  Kneel  down,  miss,  and  stay  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  room  until  you  have  spoken." 

The  child  would  bend  her  little  head  to 
show  herself  docile,  but  it  was  often  with- 
out result ;  and  she  related,  later  in  life, 
that  one  day,  after  trying  her  best,  she  had 
been  very  pleased  to  be  able  to  say,  "  There 
are  three  cracks  in  the  ceiling."  She  was 
far  from  being  deficient  in  intelligence,  as 
we  shall  see,  in  following  this  pious  life. 

She  was  greatly  loved  by  those  who  sur- 
rounded her  ;  her  uncles,  her  sisters,  her 
governesses,  the  maids,  all  showed  her  af- 
fection, and  consoled  her  a  little  for  the  se- 
verity of  her  mother.  The  Marshal  d'Es- 
trees  called  her  Bellotte ;  this  truly  remark- 
able beauty  might  have  become  disastrous 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      1 5 

to  her,  for  she  heard  it  incessantly  praised  ; 
but  at  the  age  of  six  she  was  looking  at 
herself  in  the  glass  with  satisfaction,  when, 
instead  of  her  own  charming  face,  she  saw 
only  a  death's  head.  Was  this  the  effect  of 
an  excited  imagination,  or  one  of  the  mer- 
cies which  God  sometimes  grants  to  fav- 
oured souls  ?  We  should  not  dare  to  say  ; 
but  it  is  certain  that  at  the  age  of  seventy 
or  eighty  years,  the  Duchess  of  Doudeau- 
ville  still  spoke  with  tears  of  the  impression 
produced  by  this  image  of  death.  From 
this  moment,  the  fear  of  offending  God 
made  her  look  upon  beauty  as  a  sad  advan- 
tage and  a  real  danger  ;  this  thought  never 
abandoned  her,  even  in  the  midst  of  the 
most  brilliant  successes. 

Every  morning  the  governess  led  the 
two  little  girls  into  the  marchioness'  room, 
whilst  she  made  her  toilet.  After  kissing 
their  mother's  hand,  they  would  learn  their 
lessons  by  her  side,  and  were  severely  pun- 
ished when  they  didn't  know  them  very 
well. 


1 6      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

Mademoiselle  Augustine  was  only  seven 
years  old  when  she  lost  her  great-uncle,  the 
Marshal  d'Estrees,  who  loved  her  dearly. 
The  brave  soldier  died  like  a  Christian 
hero ;  when  they  brought  him  the  sacra- 
ments, in  spite  of  keen  suffering,  he  tried 
to  rise  to  receive  our  Lord.  During  this 
time  his  little  niece  was  praying  with  fer- 
vour in  the  adjoining  room  ;  she  already 
understood  that  something  very  solemn  was 
taking  place ;  that  she  was  losing  a  pro- 
tector, but  already,  too,  she  thought  of  eter- 
nity. 

Every  year,  under  the  charge  of  their 
governess,  the  two  children  made  a  six 
months'  stay,  or  so,  on  an  estate  called 
Binanville,  near  Mantes.  Madame  Mont- 
mirail  often  went  to  see  them,  but  her  ap- 
pearance was  always  the  signal  for  some 
punishment,  and  yet  Mademoiselle  Augus- 
tine applied  herself  earnestly  to  her  stud- 
ies ;  her  great  happiness  was  to  hear  mass 
which  a  venerable  Franciscan  often  came 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      1 7 

to  say  in  the  chapel  of  the  castle.  He  had 
noticed  the  angelic  child,  and,  touched  by 
her  piety,  he  often  interposed  as  mediator 
between  her  and  her  mother.  Her  dolls, 
the  walks  in  a  nice  little  wood,  sweet 
cakes,  the  milk  which  they  drank  at  Jean- 
ette's  mother's  farm,  —  all  these  held  a  good 
place  in  her  childish  recollections.  They 
were  the  little  girls'  greatest  amusements. 
Thanks  to  their  affection,  Jeanette  was  well 
educated,  afterwards  well  settled,  and  they 
went  to  see  her  with  great  pleasure. 

As  soon  as  their  age  allowed  a  more 
continuous  application,  Madame  Montmirail 
chose  the  best  professors  for  her  daughters, 
adding  accomplishments  to  their  graver 
studies.  Madame  Leprince  de  Beaumont, 
who  has  composed  excellent  works  for  the 
young,  gave  them  lessons  for  three  years  ; 
she  became  much  attached  to  her  two  pu- 
pils, and  when  she  left  them  to  go  to  Spain, 
she  wrote  very  affectionately  to  Mademoi- 
selle Augustine,  who  was  pleased  and 


1 8      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

proud.  A  disciple  of  Rollin  replaced  this 
excellent  governess  as  professor  of  his- 
tory, and  interested  the  children,  whose 
taste  was  beginning  to  be  formed  ;  he  was 
a  pious  man ;  he  interspersed  his  lessons 
with  sage  reflections,  which  suited  the  seri- 
ous character  of  Mademoiselle  Augustine  ; 
he  spoke  often  of  her  father,  this  father 
whom  she  had  never  known,  and  whom 
everybody  knew  and  admired.  Each  and 
all  seemed  to  say  that  if  he  had  lived,  he 
would  have  made  her  happy.  Did  these 
praises  call  out  deep  regrets  and  compari- 
sons which  we  can  easily  understand  ?  We 
do  not  know.  The  dear  child  never  com- 
plained, and  never  accused  anybody.  Long 
after,  when,  in  looking  back  to  her  early 
years,  people  reminded  her  of  what  she 
must  have  suffered,  she  answered  simply: 
"  My  mother  was  virtuous  ;  and  if  it  is  true 
that  she  was  sharp  and  severe  toward  me, 
I  thank  God  for  it  as  a  great  boon ;  for,  if 
from  my  childhood  I  had  found  a  friend  in 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      19 

her,  with  my  sensitive  and  ardent  nature  I 
should  have  attached  myself  strongly  to 
the  creature." 

It  was,  then,  to  keep  this  young  heart 
quite  for  Himself,  to  prepare  it  for  great 
struggles,  that  our  Lord  initiated  it  in  suf- 
fering on  the  threshold  of  life,  revealing  to 
it  the  secrets  of  His  love. 

One  day  Madame  de  Montmirail  sends 
for  her  elder  daughter,  and  says  in  a  tone 
which  admits  of  no  reply  :  — 

"You  have  tpld  a  falsehood,  miss,  and, 
in  consequence,  you  are  to  leave  my  roof 
instantly." 

Little  Augustine,  who  had  only  answered 
some  foolish  question  simply  and  timidly, 
climbs,  all  dazed,  into  a  carriage,  and  pres- 
ently reaches  the  convent  door,  where  they 
introduce  her  as  a  little  culprit.  The  nuns 
of  the  Visitation,  greatly  astonished,  were 
not  long  in  finding  in  their  new  pupil  a 
good,  sweet,  and  pious  child,  who  soon  won 
their  affection.  At  first,  she  mourned  sadly 


2O     Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

her  sister,  her  nurse,  her  belongings  ;  but, 
little  by  little,  the  atmosphere  of  gentle- 
ness, of  silence,  of  love  of  God,  which  she 
breathed  in  this  religious  house  dissipated 
her  grief,  and  the  pious  asylum  became  for 
her  a  place  of  delights,  whose  peace  and 
sweetness  were  grateful  to  her  soul.  She 
learned  there  the  charm  of  friendship,  for 
despite  the  contrast  of  their  characters,  she 
formed  a  close  intimacy  with  Mademoiselle 
de  Sinetti.  United  in  their  studies  and 
their  games,  the  school-girls  were  later 
bound  to  .  one  another  by  the  same  ma- 
ternal griefs,  and  up  to  a  very  old  age,  the 
virtuous  Duchess  of  Doudeauville  sustained 
and  encouraged  the  brilliant  Duchess  of 
Caderousse,  who  always  felt  for  her  friend  a 
tenderness  mingled  with  reverence. 

This  sojourn  at  the  Visitation,  ten 
months  long  only,  was  marked  by  a  great 
event,  —  a  memorable  date  whose  anniver- 
sary Madame  de  Doudeauville  kept  all  her 
life  with  renewed  joy  and  gratitude.  The 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      2 1 

years,  instead  of  weakening  this  feeling, 
served,  on  the  contrary,  only  to  increase  it ; 
for,  towards  the  end  of  her  life,  when  her 
soul  seemed  to  begin  to  be  indifferent  to 
the  things  of  earth,  while  alive  only  to 
heavenly  things,  it  was  enough  to  speak 
the  name  of  Saint  John  in  her  presence,  to 
irradiate  her  face  and  make  her  start  with 
joy  :  "  Oh ! "  she  would  say,  "  that  is  the 
day  of  my  first  communion  ! " 

What  took  place  in  the  heart  of  the 
twelve  years'  child  at  this  solemn  moment  ? 
Doubtless  God  made  her  to  taste  marvel- 
lously His  holy  presence ;  for  after  a  long 
thanksgiving,  when  all  the  companions 
about  her  had  disappeared,  Mademoiselle 
de  Montmirail,  on  her  knees,  saw  nothing, 
heard  nothing ;  she  seemed  transported  to 
heaven.  The  nun  detailed  to  call  her,  not 
daring  to  disturb  her  meditation,  stopped, 
filled  with  respect,  before  this  child  lost  in 
the  presence  of  God.  But  as  the  prayers 
still  went  on,  fearing  for  her  health,  they 


22      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

decided  to  interrupt  her.  "  What !  al- 
ready ! "  she  said  sadly,  and  it  cost  her  a 
great  effort  to  leave  her  prie-Dieu. 

After  her  communion,  she  felt  herself 
strongly  impelled  by  the  desire  to  conse- 
crate herself  entirely  to  her  Lord.  The 
life  of  the  convent  was  full  of  attraction 
for  her  recollected  soul.  This  calm,  this 
regular  life,  suited  her  character  much  bet- 
ter than  the  agitation  of  the  age.  The 
kindness  of  her  teachers,  the  friendship  of 
her  companions,  expanded  her  heart,  so  that 
she  experienced  a  great  sadness  when  her 
mother,  on  the  very  evening  of  this  great 
day,  announced  to  her  that  she  was  to  re- 
turn immediately  to  her  house  at  Louvois. 
She  ventured  timidly  to  make  a  request. 
"  Until  now,"  she  said,  "  I  have  thought  of 
nothing  but  my  first  communion  ;  if  you 
would  allow  me  to  spend  three  or  four  days 
more  here,  to  prepare  myself  for  going 
back  to  the  world,  I  should  be  most  grate- 
ful." 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      23 

Madame  de  Montmirail  willingly  yielded 
to  her  daughter's  wish,  who  continued  her 
retreat  with  a  fervour  and  seriousness  far 
beyond  her  years.  Let  us  listen  to  her 
own  impressions,  revealed  in  a  moment  of 
effusion. 

"  All  that  the  world  esteemed  seemed  to 
me  despicable,  and  I  couldn't  understand 
how  one  could  attach  himself  to  these 
things.  From  the  gallery  where  I  was  fer- 
vently praying,  I  could  see  the  nuns  pros- 
trate themselves,  with  their  faces  against 
the  ground,  spending  long  hours  before  the 
tabernacle.  I  thought  them  happy  beyond 
all  expression,  and  in  my  childishness,  I 
kissed  the  walls  of  the  cloister,  where  I 
would  fain  have  stayed  always.  I  loved 
dearly  Saint  Frangois  de  Sales,  whom  I 
called  our  holy  founder ;  my  desire  to  en- 
rol myself  among  his  daughters  became  so 
pressing,  that  one  day,  after  my  meditation, 
without  understanding  to  what  I  was  going 
to  engage  myself,  seeing  only  the  happi- 


24      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

ness  of  belonging  entirely  to  God,  I  had 
on  my  lips  the  perpetual  vow  of  virginity, 
when  I  thought  I  heard  distinctly  these 
words  :  '  No  —  in  the  world,  against  all 
thine  inclination/  Then,  trembling,  and 
bursting  into  tears,  I  answered  :  '  As  Thou 
wouldst  have  it,  Lord,  but  let  the  will  of 
my  mother  be  the  expression  of  Thine.* 
And  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  I  were  to  prac- 
tice the  virtues  of  the  cloister,  without  tast- 
ing its  sweets,  to  apply  myself  to  humility 
in  the  midst  of  grandeur,  to  poverty  in  the 
lap  of  riches,  to  mortification  under  the 
outward  appearance  of  well-being,  to  the 
purest  modesty  amid  the  vanities  and  follies 
of  the  century.  This  sacrifice  cost  me  a 
great  deal ;  but  I  could  not  be  mistaken 
about  the  will  of  God,  and  I  prayed  to  Him 
to  aid  me  in  conquering  my  repugnance." 

The  three  days  of  grace  having  elapsed, 
Mademoiselle  Augustine,  perfectly  re- 
signed, fell  back  under  the  severe  and  fan- 
ciful yoke  of  her  mother,  who  continued  to 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      25 

punish  her  for  the  merest  trifles  ;  the  most 
frequent  offences  came  from  some  slight 
omission  of  etiquette,  from  an  awkward- 
ness caused  by  timidity  —  the  exceeding 
fear  of  that  pitiless  look,  which  paralyzed 
the  young  girl,  just  as  it  had  embarrassed 
the  child.  For  instance,  eight  days  after 
her  marriage,  she  was  condemned  by  her 
mother  to  dine  alone  at  a  table  of  penitence, 
in  a  corner  of  the  dining-room,  because 
she  had  made  her  courtesy  badly,  in  enter- 
ing the  drawing-room. 

The  torture  of  these  sad  days  began  in 
the  early  morning,  for  the  coiffure  of  this 
period  demanded  a  great  deal  of  time,  and 
the  maid  took  two  hours  every  day  for 
arranging  a  superb  head  of  hair,  which 
Mademoiselle  de  Montmirail  would  gladly 
have  committed  to  the  scissors.  An  ex- 
treme sensitiveness  made  of  these  two 
hours  a  veritable  martyrdom.  She  spent 
them  in  complete  immobility,  while  think- 
ing of  the  crown  of  thorns. 


26     Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

Meanwhile,  everybody  was  absorbed  by 
the  marriage-plans  for  this  beautiful  and 
rich  heiress.  She  alone  never  thought  of 
them.  Of  suitors  there  could  be  no  lack 
for  one  who  joined  to  her  personal  charms 
every  social  advantage  ;  among  them  fig- 
ured a  Spanish  grandee  of  the  first  class, 
placed  over  the  Duchy  of  Doudeauville  in 
the  Boulonnais.  People  asked  each  other 
who  would  be  the  favoured  mortal  chosen 
for  such  an  alliance.  In  the  young  ladies' 
room  great  names  were  mentioned,  the 
most  brilliant  cavaliers  were  passed  in  re- 
view. All  at  once  the  Viscount  of  Roche- 
foucauld was  presented  to  Mademoiselle  de 
Montmirail,  with  whom,  until  then,  he  had 
had  nothing  to  do.  Great  excitement 
among  the  people  of  the  house.  What  is 
he  about  ?  They  make  inquiry.  He  has 
an  only  son,  but  he  is  still  a  child.  Is  it 
for  the  sake  of  some  nephew  ?  They  are 
all  pretty  indifferent  matches. 

It  is  really,  then,  for  the  son  who  is  trav- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      27 

elling ;  they  are  astonished  not  to  see  him 
return;  people  get  lost  in  surmises,  to 
which^Miss  Augustine  is  a  complete  stran- 
ger. 

The  Viscount  of  Rochefoucauld-Surgeres 
represented  one  of  the  younger  branches 
of  that  illustrious  family,  which,  originally 
from  the  province  of  Guienne,  is  connected 
with  the  dukes  of  Aquitaine  under  the 
Carlovingians  and  with  the  lords  of  Lus- 
ignan  in  the  time  of  the  Crusades,  when 
the  family  inaugurated  its  coat  of  arms. 

The  branch  of  the  Montendre-Surgeres 
begins  in  the  sixteenth  century,  in  the 
person  of  Louis  de  la  Rochefoucauld,  fifth 
son  of  Duke  Frangois,  who  had  the  honour 
of  holding  over  the  baptismal  font,  King 
Frangois  I.,  and  of  giving  him  his  name. 

One  day,  Mademoiselle  de  Montmirail's 
maid,  after  taking  more  than  usual  pains 
with  the  hair-dressing,  presents  her  with 
an  extraordinarily  elegant  dress.  Sur- 
prised, she  asks  what  this  means. 


28      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"  But,  does  n't  Mademoiselle  know  that 
the  Viscount  of  Rochefoucauld  is  to  come 
to-day,  to  ask  her  in  marriage  ? " 

Without  answering,  the  young  girl  hur- 
ries the  finishing  of  her  toilet,  and  runs 
and  throws  herself  into  her  mother's  lap. 

"  You  know,"  she  cried,  "  that  I  am  un- 
happily destined  to  have  a  great  fortune. 
I  would  like  never  to  leave  you,  and  if  I 
should  have  the  unhappiness  to  survive 
you,  I  would  consecrate  all  my  fortune  to 
doing  good  works." 

"  Impossible  !  "  replied  the  marchioness, 
with  icy  coldness,  "  the  Viscount  of  Roche- 
foucauld is  to  ask  you  for  his  son  ;  he  will 
bring  him  this  evening ;  examine  him  care- 
fully ;  and  if  he  does  n't  suit  you,  you  will 
tell  me,  and  I  will  find  some  one  else  for 
you." 

"  I  have  no  investigations  to  make,  moth- 
er," rejoined  Mademoiselle  de  Montmirail, 
"and  if  I  must  marry,  I  accept  the  one 
whom  you  have  chosen." 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      29 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  marchioness,  with 
the   same   indifference,  apparently  without  . 
noticing  her  daughter's  emotion. 

She  retired  with  a  very  full  heart,  but 
decided  upon  the  sacrifice. 

In  the  evening  the  reception  was  mag- 
nificent ;  but  imagine  the  general  effect ! 
Mademoiselle  de  Montmirail,  dazzling  in 
her  grace  and  freshness,  found  herself  op- 
posite to  a  little  boy  not  fourteen  years  old, 
thin,  puny,  delicate,  with  childish  features, 
utterly  embarrassed,  and  still  more  bored 
with  the  part  he  was  made  to  play.  On 
learning  that  his  marriage  was  at  stake,  he 
exclaimed  sadly,  "  Alas !  I  shan't  be  able 
to  amuse  myself  any  more." 

The  two  heroes  of  the  evening  scarcely 
looked  at  each  other  ;  and  when  Madame 
de  Montmirail  asked  her  daughter  if  young 
Ambroise  suited  her,  "  As  well  as  anybody 
else,"  she  answered. 

There  were  several  other  solemn  inter- 
views, when  the  future  pair  exchanged  not 


30     Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

a  word.  What  must  this  young  girl  have 
felt  —  so  serious,  of  a  judgment  beyond 
her  years  —  when  she  sought  in  this  poor 
little  fellow  —  timid,  shame-faced,  discon- 
certed at  the  premature  part  he  was  play- 
ing —  a  counsellor,  a  support,  the  centre  of 
all  her  affections.  But  if  she  suffered,  her 
height  and  her  beauty  greatly  alarmed  poor 
Ambroise,  who  hardly  dared  to  look  at  her, 
and  asked  himself  if  he  was  doomed  to 
spend  his  life  in  an  uncomfortable  con- 
straint. 

No  dream  of  happiness,  we  see,  presided 
over  this  strange  alliance.  In  putting  her 
seal  to  the  most  important  act  of  her  life, 
the  young  girl  submits  to  an  order  which, 
she  thinks,  comes  directly  from  heaven  ; 
she  hears  in  her  ears  the  sound  of  the 
words  which  destroyed  her  dearest  hopes, 
—  "  In  the  world,  against  all  thine  inclina- 
tion." She  accepts,  but  with  the  resigna- 
tion of  a  generous  victim.  As  for  the  child 
of  fourteen  years,  who  tremblingly  signs  a 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      31 

solemn  contract,  he  executes  with  timidity 
the  will  of  his  father,  as  he  would  have 
performed  a  penance. 

On  the  loth  of  April,  1779,  were  seen 
through  the  open  folding-doors  of  the  Hotel 
de  Louvois,  the  Swiss  guardsmen,  in  full 
uniform,  magnificent  carriages,  horses  rich- 
ly caparisoned,  liveried  servants  bearing 
bouquets  of  flowers,  assembled  in  the  court- 
yard, —  all  the  stir  of  a  magnificent  fete. 
Soon,  in  the  midst  of  a  brilliant  cortege, 
appeared  a  lovely  and  majestic  young  girl, 
whose  emotion  was  so  keen  that  all  the 
delicate  orange  blossoms  trimming  her 
dress  seemed  agitated  by  a  breath  of  the 
morning  air.  One  looked  in  vain  for  the 
hero  of  the  fete,  amid  the  great  lords,  and 
was  resigned,  perforce,  to  find  him  in  a  lit- 
tle boy,  who,  in  spite  of  all  his  efforts  to 
hold  up  his  head,  hardly  reached  the  shoul- 
der of  his  fiance'e.  The  poor  child  paid 
dearly  that  day  for  all  the  honours  of  the 
moment,  and  his  future  happiness.  As  if 


32      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

to  throw  out  better  the  smallness  of  his 
stature,  all  the  Swiss  Guards  were  men  of 
six  feet  and  more ;  so  that  everybody 
smiled  who  saw  him,  and  the  contrast 
which  he  made  to  his  charming  companion 
drew  the  attention  more  upon  him  than 
upon  her,  —  a  preference  with  which  he 
could  very  easily  have  dispensed. 

They  laughed,  then,  and  we  should  per- 
haps have  had  a  feeling  of  sadness,  or  at 
least  of  astonishment  at  this  singular  as- 
semblage. And  yet,  time  has  proved  that 
if  appearances  were  deceptive,  as  is  so 
often  the  case,  this  time,  at  least,  the  real- 
ity was  much  better  than  the  promise. 
This  child  will  grow  truly  worthy  in  all 
points,  —  in  fortune,  name,  and  in  the  high 
offices  which  he  is  called  upon  to  discharge. 
Upright,  good,  loyal,  refined,  generous,  he 
will  make  the  happiness  of  his  virtuous 
wife,  so  far  as  it  is  possible  for  a  creature 
to  satisfy  a  heart  which  aspires  to  the  di- 
vine union  only. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      33 

Did  not  the  illustrious  patron  saints 
of  Augustine  and  Ambroise  agree  to  form 
a  holy  alliance  and  to  bless  it  from  the 
height  of  heaven  ? 

We  may  believe  it  when  we  see  the 
treasures  that  this  brave  woman  heaped  up 
for  eternity,  and  the  good  which  she  did  in 
her  new  family. 

If  even  then  she  had  been  able  to  read 
the  heart  of  the  timid  youth  who  accompa- 
nied her  to  the  altar,  she  would  have  ad- 
mired his  having  kept  the  integrity  of  his 
faith  in  the  midst  of  a  thousand  errors  and 
prejudices. 

Fearing  that  they  might  lose  him  as 
they  had  his  two  older  brothers,  his  par- 
ents had  sent  him  to  the  country  a  few 
days  after  his  birth,  where  he  stayed  until 
he  was  six  years  old,  running  wild  about 
the  fields,  in  snow,  ice,  and  mud,  breathing 
the  pure  air,  and  revelling  in  perfect  liberty. 
Their  wish  was  to  strengthen  his  health, 
but  Providence,  to  save  and  preserve  his 
3 


34      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

soul,  had  placed  at  his  side  an  excellent 
nurse,  an  honest  and  simple  peasant,  who, 
in  giving  him  her  material  care,  sowed  in 
his  soul  the  seeds  of  truth.  She  read  his 
catechism  to  him,  to  which  little  Ambroise 
listened  with  great  attention.  His  lively 
imagination  was  kindled  by  the  lives  of  the 
saints,  and  his  natural  bravery  prompted 
him  to  long  for  martyrdom.  The  pious 
nurse,  alarmed  at  the  skeptical  atmosphere 
breathed  by  this  child,  the  object  of  her 
tenderness,  and  desirous  to  preserve  his 
faith,  made  him  kneel  down  every  morning 
with  his  face  turned  towards  the  village 
church  ;  then,  showing  him  the  steeple,  she 
would  say :  — 

"  Look  at  that  cross  ;  our  Lord  is  there. 
He  can  grant  us  all  that  we  ask  of  Him. 
Let  us  pray  together,  and  say  with  me  :  My 
God,  grant  that  false  doctrines  may  never 
corrupt  my  heart." 

This  prayer  was  so  deeply  engraved  on 
the  dear  child's  memory,  that  many  years 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      35 

after,  when  a  skeptical  teacher,  filled  with 
the  false  ideas  of  the  day,  intended  to  instil 
the  poison  of  incredulity  into  the  soul  of  the 
young  man,  under  an  attractive  form,  feel- 
ing an  instinctive  fear,  he  opened  the  door 
of  his  alcove,  before  taking  his  lesson,  and 
kneeling  down  behind  the  curtain,  repeated 
with  faith,  —  "  My  God,  grant  that  false 
doctrines  may  never  corrupt  my  heart." 
Thanks  to  this  simple  prayer  he  escaped 
many  and  great  dangers. 

But  no  interchange  of  words  had  made 
known  to  the  young  woman  the  disposition 
of  her  new  mentor ;  she  entered  into  the 
unknown,  relying  only  upon  the  Divine 
will,  which  she  had  sought  to  know,  and 
from  which,  after  the  example  of  the  Sav- 
iour, she  derived  all  her  support. 

Cardinal  de  la  Rochefoucauld  performed 
the  marriage  ceremony.  After  a  sumptu- 
ous wedding-feast,  and  a  magnificent  party, 
young  Ambroise,  now  Duke  de  Doudeau- 
ville,  glad  to  see  the  day  end  in  which  his 


36      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

only  pleasure  had  been  to  hear  the  drum 
beat,  went  immediately  to  Versailles  with 
his  tutor.  As  to  the  bride  of  fifteen  years, 
she  was  intrusted  to  the  care  of  her  step- 
mother, the  Viscountess  de  la  Rochefou- 
cauld, and  continued  with  her  during  her 
life  of  young  girlhood.  This  protecting  in- 
fluence, though  quite  different  from  that  of 
Madame  de  Montmirail,  was  even  less  rea- 
sonable, as  we  shall  soon  find. 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE   CHRISTIAN   IN   THE   WORLD. 

A  NEW  life  in  a  new  world  opens  be- 
fore the  young  and  charming  woman,  who, 
to  her  great  regret,  occupies  the  thoughts 
of  a  brilliant  and  idle  public.  She  has 
passed,  by  direct  transition,  from  the  table 
of  penance  to  the  sumptuous  spectacles  of 
court  festivals.  If  she  is  sometimes  in- 
timidated by  all  this,  if  the  pomp  offends 
her  modesty,  she  is  never  dazzled  by  it,  and 
in  following  her  over  what  is  called  the 
theatre  of  her  success,  we  shall  follow  her 
happily,  always  through  an  arena  of  pious 
combats,  assisting  towards  the  triumph  of 
her  virtue. 

The  Viscountess  de  la  Rochefoucauld, 
proud  of  her  daughter-in-law,  insisted  that 
she  should  wear  rich  and  elegant  costumes 


38      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

to  receive  her  wedding  visits.  Society  at 
that  time  was  all  infatuation  ;  people  were 
carried  away  by  the  idol  of  the  day ;  the 
flame  burned  bright  and  fast,  but  generally 
was  very  fleeting.  The  beauty  of  the  young 
duchess  became  the  object  of  general  ad- 
miration ;  it  was  the  common  talk ;  it  was 
only,  who  could  see  her  ;  people  crowded 
into  the  drawing-rooms  where  she  was  to 
appear,  and  when,  at  last,  she  was  an- 
nounced, the  hostess  in  a  loud  voice  would 
order  the  chandelier  and  all  the  candles  to 
be  lighted.  Shamed  by  such  display,  she 
would  inwardly  pray  God  to  save  her  from 
these  dangerous  honours. 

In  this  high  position,  the  then  custom 
demanded  that  a  bride  should  be  presented 
to  the  public  accompanied  by  all  the  wed- 
ding train ;  she  must  go  to  the  opera,  and 
there,  surrounded  by  her  relatives,  make  a 
low  courtesy  to  the  parterre  and  to  the 
boxes,  which  answered  by  applause.  The 
cheers  called  forth  by  the  young  duchess 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      39 

were  so  enthusiastic,  so  redoubled,  that 
after  the  necessary  acknowledgments,  she 
retired  to  the  back  of  her  box  as  soon  as 
possible. 

When  Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld  pre- 
sented her  at  court,  the  great  gallery  at 
Versailles  was  filled  with  curious  courtiers  ; 
they  climbed  up  on  chairs  to  see  her  the 
better,  and  the  murmurs-  of  admiration 
which  reached  her  ears  increased  her  em- 
barrassment and  emotion  to  such  a  degree, 
that  after  receiving  a  thousand  tokens  of 
kindness  from  the  king,  the  princes  and 
princesses,  she  was  obliged  to  ask  permis- 
sion of  the  queen  not  to  go  to  the  play  in 
the  evening.  Several  attacks  of  fever  ex- 
piated this  fragile  triumph. 

A  grand  quadrille  was  announced  at 
court ;  the  duchess  was  begged  to  take 
part  in  it ;  and  an  invitation  was  a  polite 
order  which  one  could  not  resist.  Putting 
aside,  then,  her  fears  and  her  repugnance, 
she  went  to  the  many  rehearsals  indis- 


40      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

pen  sable  to  the  perfect  execution  of  an  en- 
tertainment which  absorbed  all  the  elegant 
world.  We  can  understand  what  must  have 
been  the  license  of  that  frivolous  youth, 
distracted  with  pleasure  and  success,  dur- 
ing the  laisser-aller  common  to  rehearsals 
of  this  kind.  Madame  de  Doudeauville 
learned  only  to  dance.  Her  grave  modesty 
held  the  boldest  at  a  distance,  and  she 
compelled  this  volatile  society  to  admire 
her  ingenuousness  and  her  virtue. 

It  was  at  Versailles,  first  of  all,  that  this 
famous  quadrille  was  to  take  place.  All 
the  assemblage  of  ladies,  jealous  of  her 
who  eclipsed  them  without  taking  any 
trouble  about  it,  made  a  plot  to  get  their 
hair  dressed  before  her,  and  to  keep  the 
celebrated  Leonard  up  to  the  last  moment. 
During  this  small  feminine  intrigue  one  of 
the  coterie  slips  out  and  goes  in  search  of 
the  young  duchess  to  enjoy  her  agitation 
and  bad  temper.  But  what  is  her  astonish- 
ment when  she  finds  her  tranquilly  seated, 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      41 

and  in  the  pious  occupation  of  repeating 
vespers,  for  it  was  a  Sunday.  She  re- 
turns without  delay,  edified  and  discon- 
certed at  the  same  time.  Soon  after 
Leonard  arrives  quite  out  of  breath,  and 
exclaims,  "  Ah !  the  naughty  things  !  they 
have  left  me  only  five  minutes.  Well,  for 
all  that,  your  hair  shall  be  well  dressed, 
and  better  than  theirs."  And  so  it  was. 

This  victory  mattered  little  to  the  hum- 
ble duchess,  but  she  was  pleased  with  the 
good  man's  kind  intention,  and  gave  him  a 
token  of  her  gratitude. 

The  success  of  the  evening  was  com- 
plete ;  and  while  the  Viscountess  de  la 
Rochefoucauld  was  intoxicated  by  the  hom- 
age lavished  on  her  daughter-in-law,  she 
herself  said  with  pious  fright,  — 

t(  Oh,  mother,  mother !  Do  you  wish 
then  to  ruin  me  ?  " 

Whatever  excited  so  much  admiration 
alarmed  her  delicate  conscience.  She 
looked  upon  it  as  an  occasion  of  sin.  And 


42      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

this  involuntary  connivance  with  the  devil 
horrified  her.  Once,  only  once,  having 
heard  some  one  say  :  "  Her  eyes  are  beau- 
tiful, especially  when  she  raises  them  to 
heaven,"  by  an  instinctive  movement  she 
looked  up  at  the  cornice  ;  but  instantly, 
seized  with  remorse  and  confusion,  she 
dropped  her  eyelids  and  reproached  her- 
self her  life  long  for  having  been  surprised 
into  vanity. 

It  was  she  who  was  chosen  to  beg  in 
the  chapel  at  Versailles,  on  the  reception 
of  the  knights  of  the  order.  She  acquit- 
ted herself  so  well,  that  only  a  short  time 
after,  contrary  to  the  court  usage,  she  was 
invited  to  beg  a  second  time.  This  innova- 
tion was  due  to  the  presence  of  Paul  L,  on 
whom  the  king  wished  the  French  ladies 
to  make  a  good  impression.  The  queen 
dispatched  a  messenger  with  all  speed  to 
find  the  Duchess  of  Doudeauville,  then  at 
Turny,  to  persuade  her  to  come  back  to 
court,  and  she  lent  her  own  diamonds  for 
the  occasion. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      43 

This  was  the  outer  life  of  this  young 
woman  from  her  fifteenth  to  her  seven- 
teenth year.  We  know  her  tastes,  her  in- 
clination to  piety.  Let  us  see,  if,  in  the 
family  life  at  least,  she  can  be  compensated 
and  give  free  vent  to  the  impulse  of  her 
faith. 

The  Hotel  la  Rochefoucauld  Surgeres 
was  at  this  period  the  rendezvous  of  the 
philosophers  and  wits  of  the  day.  All  the 
fashionable  theories  were  discussed  there, 
—  singular,  or  rather  monstrous  combina- 
tion of  distorted  gospel  truths  and  human 
passions.  Philanthropy,  indifference  in 
religious  matters,  took  the  place  of  the 
strong  and  true  virtues  which  Christianity 
alone  can  produce.  Pure  faith,  sacred  dog- 
ma were  left  to  the  simple,  the  ignorant,  to 
women  and  children.  The  intelligent,  the 
strong-minded,  must  content  themselves- 
with  a  religion,  vague,  ideal,  indefinite. 
All  the  Rochefoucauld  family  were  imbued 
with  these  false  doctrines,  young  Ambroise 


44      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

alone  excepted  ;  and  we  understand  what 
she  must  have  suffered,  who  came  to  this 
society  adorned  even  more  richly  with  vir- 
tue than  with  beauty.  Her  attitude,  though 
always  gentle,  seemed  austere  to  this  jesting 
company,  witty  and  pleasure-loving.  Her 
faith  was  attacked  in  pleasantry  and  sar- 
casm ;  without  daring  to  address  themselves 
directly  to  her,  they  threw  ridicule  upon 
her  dearest  beliefs.  At  first  she  was  sadly 
astonished ;  her  soul  had  not  suspected 
that  there  could  be  so  much  impiety  in  the 
world.  To  amazement  succeeded  painful 
sufferings.  This  laughing,  these  strange 
words,  caused  her  intense  agony.  They 
seemed  to  ask  her  with  a  mocking  look, 
Where  is  thy  God  ?  What  torture  for  a 
soul  so  pure,  so  consumed  with  zeal  for  the 
Lord's  house. 

Still  she  was  silent,  for  though  these 
blasphemies  changed  in  no  wise  the  purity 
of  her  faith,  she  would  not  have  been  able 
to  defend  it  outwardly  ;  the  studies  of  that 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      45 

time  were  not  deep  enough  to  enable  her 
to  combat  the  numerous  arguments  with 
which  she  was  plied.  She  felt  their  false- 
ness, but  she  had  sought  in  religion  the 
light  for  the  fulfilling  of  her  duties,  and  not 
the  refutation  of  doubts  which  had  never 
ruffled  her  mind.  Her  silence  was  set 
down  as  stupidity.  She  felt  this  judgment, 
and  suffered  from  it,  but  she  appeared  not 
to  notice  it. 

Before  her  marriage,  she  had  requested 
freedom  in  the  exercise  of  her  religion ; 
they  had  promised  it  to  her,  and,  notwith- 
standing, all  the  days  of  abstinence  became 
days  of  torment  to  her.  Alone  she  fasted 
at  the  table  of  her  father-in-law,  and  each 
time  there  was  a  fresh  scene.  In  vain,  her 
mother-in-law,  who  was  very  fond  of  her, 
attempted  to  interpose  between  her  and  the 
Viscount  of  Rochefoucauld ;  he  promised 
to  hold  his  tongue,  but  immediately  began 
again.  His  voice  was  by  turns  ironical  and 
impatient,  and  the  mortifying  words  were 


46      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

accompanied  by  sarcasms  which  pierced 
the  heart  of  the  young  Christian.  She 
dreaded  this  time  of  trial  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  a  part  of  the  night  between 
Thursday  and  Friday  was  often  passed  by 
her  in  prayer.  Bursting  into  tears  at  the 
foot  of  her  crucifix,  she  would  ask  for 
courage  to  bear  the  struggle,  and  when  the 
hour  came,  she  commended  herself  again 
to  God,  and  could  hardly  control  the  beat- 
ing of  her  heart  when  she  sat  down  to 
table.  When  there,  she  seemed  a  marble 
statue,  hearing  and  understanding  noth- 
ing. 

On  entering  her  new  family,  she  had  got 
permission  to  go  to  mass  every  day,  but  it 
was  not  long  before  this  one  consolation 
was  refused  her,  on  the  pretext  that  it  tired 
the  horses.  She  did  not  insist,  wishing  to 
reserve  the  right  of  exacting  that  she 
should  be  taken  at  least  on  the  Sundays, 
and  days  of  obligation.  This  prudent  and 
firm  attitude  commanded  respect,  and  she 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      47 

had  the  happiness,  amid  so  many  difficul- 
ties, never  to  fail  in  keeping  a  precept  of 
the  church. 

Looking  upon  a  frequenting  of  the  thea- 
tre as  dangerous,  she  did  not  wish  to  go, 
and  privately  implored  her  mother-in-law  to 
come  to  her  aid.  Madame  de  la  Rochefou- 

x 

cauld,  wishing  to  please  her  new  daughter, 
had  recourse  to  a  hundred  subterfuges  to 
postpone  the  theatre  evenings,  which  came 
three  times  a  week.  Sometimes  she  would 
complain  of  headache,  she  did  not  feel  well 
just  as  they  were  about  to  set  out,  or  per- 
haps she  did  n't  care  about  the  piece  they 
were  to  play.  In  spite  of  these  maternal 
devices,  it  was  necessary  to  go  now  and 
then,  when  the  young  duchess,  preoccu- 
pied with  the  thought  that  she  might  be  of- 
fending God,  would  follow  the  large  crowd 
with  indifference.  In  order  not  to  partici- 
pate voluntarily  in  the  acting,  she  tried  to 
find  some  distraction,  and  in  consequence, 
passed  for  a  person  of  very  little  clever- 


48      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

ness.  Her  coldness  contrasted  strongly 
with  the  enthusiasm  of  her  surrounding. 
This  same  coldness  while  listening  to  a 
romance  was  revolting.  They  began  to 
question  her  sensibility,  which  was  most 
painful  to  her.  "  She  appreciates  noth- 
ing, she  understands  nothing,"  they  said. 
These  words  were  accompanied  by  signifi- 
cant winks  and  smiles  of  pity.  The  con- 
versation would  stop  when  she  came  into 
the  room,  or  else  it  would  go  on,  as  if  they 
did  n't  know  that  she  had  appeared  ;  all 
this  performance  did  not  escape  her,  and 
she  had  to  use  great  self-control  to  seem 
insensible  to  it. 

She  was  far  from  being  indifferent,  how- 
ever ;  all  noble  and  elevated  sentiments 
found  an  echo  in  her,  and  all  good  works 
sympathy. 

If  she  shut  her  ears  to  all  reading  which 
attacks  morals  and  religion,  she  was  in- 
terested almost  too  keenly  in  what  are 
called  good  novels.  During  the  two  first 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.     49 

years  which  followed  on  her  marriage,  it 
often  happened  that  she  was  taken  well 
into  the  night  by  the  charm  of  a  story. 
Once,  in  the  midst  of  a  thrilling  passage, 
she  heard  the  clock  strike  four  in  the 
morning.  There  was  a  moral  awaking. 
Surprised  at  this  fascination,  she  stops,  re- 
flects a  moment,  —  "  If  this  reading  is  not 
bad,  it  is  at  least  a  great  waste  of  time," 
and  therewith  she  shuts  the  book  never  to 
open  it  again,  or  any  other  of  the  same 
kind.  From  that  moment  she  always  gave 
to  her  intellect  and  her  heart  the  simple 
and  solid  food  of  truth.  She  might  often 
be  seen  before  the  tabernacle  with  a  little 
book  which  made  her  joy,  and  which  she 
put  in  the  number  of  her  dearest  treasures. 
Relying  on  the  old  friendship  at  the  Jesuit 
College,  which  had  united  her  father,  the 
Marquis  de  Montmirail,  and  Alphonse  de 
Liguori,  she  had  written  to  this  zealous 
apostle  of  the  religion  of  Mary  and  of  the 
Blessed  Sacrament,  to  ask  his  prayers  and 
4 


50      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

blessing.  The  answer,  accompanied  by  a 
copy  of  "  Visits  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament," 
was  received  with  joyful  gratitude. 

Whilst  the  young  woman  bore  with  pa- 
tience and  firmness  secret  and  incessant 
little  persecutions,  the  Duke  of  Doudeau- 
ville,  at  a  great  distance,  had  the  same 
struggle  to  sustain,  and  opposed  a  passive 
resistance.  We  find  his  own  testimony  in 
his  memoirs. 

"  The  persons  to  whom  I  owed  my  re- 
spect and  confidence,  had  been  giving  me 
for  a  year  or  two  books  on  materialism, 
and  the  worst  works  of  Voltaire,  in  order 
to  shape  my  mind  and  educate  my  heart ; 
moreover,  there  were  conversations  in  the 
same  spirit  which  were  to  explain  my  read- 
ings, and  give  force  to  them  ;  but  it  was 
not  successful,  and  I  made  no  progress  in 
this  kind  of  study. 

"  To  escape  these  singular  conversations, 
and  these  readings,  which  I  understood 
very  well,  I  gave  myself  the  appearance  of 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      5 1 

not  hearing,  and  preferred  to  pass  for  a 
poor  fool  rather  than  to  deserve  the  title 
of  strong-minded,  so  much  coveted  by  the 
young  nobility  of  the  time. 

"  As  soon  as  I  could,  I  would  run  to  my 
room,  fall  on  my  knees  and  pray  God  not 
to  let  the  religion  be  stifled  and  annihi- 
lated which  He  alone  had  put  into  my 
soul.  It  gave  me  content,  submission,  hap- 
piness, each  time  that  I  discharged  my- 
Christian  obligations,  just  as  it  has  since 
given  me  consolation,  strength,  resignation, 
and  love  of  my  duties." 

The  Duke  of  Doudeauville  adds  that  he 
returned  from  time  to  time  to  see  his 
young  wife,  but  as  they  were  never  left 
alone,  they  could  not  freely  exchange  any 
expression  of  sentiments.  They  tried  to 
make  this  good  by  their  correspondence, 
which  grew  tender,  active,  interesting,  both 
finding  great  pleasure  in  this  commerce  of 
thoughts  ;  but  all  at  once,  through  some  in- 
explicable whim,  the  Rochefoucauld  family 


5  2      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

took  alarm  at  the  frequent  letters  :  What 
could  these  children  be  talking  about,  who 
did  n't  know  each  other  ?  Was  the  young 
duchess,  perhaps,  using  too  strong  a  Chris- 
tian influence  ?  To  convince  themselves, 
they  opened  her  writing-desk  during  her 
absence,  and  carried  off,  to  her  great  regret, 
the  very  innocent  subject  of  her  favorite 
recreation. 

And  yet  her  new  family  desired  to  make 
her  happy.  If  they  interfered  with  her 
tastes,  it  was  to  give  her  more  enjoyments  ; 
if  they  attacked  her  faith,  her  pious  prac- 
tices, it  was  to  free  her  from  false  preju- 
dices, from  a  servile  bondage  ;  to  raise  her 
to  the  level  of  her  century.  The  Viscount 
of  Rochefoucauld  particularly,  took  upon 
himself  to  make  over  this  education,  which 
he  found  out  of  date.  He  saw  very  soon  that 
he  must  give  up  the  scheme,  but  if  he  must 
needs  resign  himself  to  see  by  his  fireside 
a  mediaeval  figure,  which  flattered  his  self- 
love  in  every  other  respect,  at  all  events  he 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      53 

was  very  sure  that  no  member  of  the  house  - 
hold  shared  such  retrograde  notions.  Now, 
quite  contrary  to  the  impression  of  the 
skeptical  philosopher,  the  influence  of  the 
brave  woman  was  beginning  to  be  felt. 
How  could  one  resist  this  vigorous  sweet- 
ness, this  patient  firmness  joined  to  a  good- 
ness so  true  and  so  touching !  There  was  so 
much  delicacy  in  her  demeanour,  so  great 
nobleness  in  her  sentiments,  elevation  in 
her  thoughts,  all  relations  with  her  were  so 
easy,  so  pleasant,  that  they  had  to  submit 
to  evidence  and  recognize  that  the  heart  of 
the  fervent  Christian  contained  treasures  of 
tenderness,  of  devotion  and  fidelity.  The 
viscountess  was  the  first  to  yield  to  this 
mastery  of  virtue.  She  loved  her  daughter- 
in-law  even  more  than  her  own  children. 
Madame  de  Durtal,  eldest  sister  to  the 
Duke  de  Doudeauville,  also  felt  for  her  a 
fond  and  deep  affection.  She  was  a  charm- 
ing person,  full  of  wit  and  talent,  but  these 
natural  qualities  lacked  the  solid  basis  of 


54      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

faith  and  the  perfume  of  piety.  We  shall 
see,  later,  how  she  felt  herself  drawn  to 
God  by  the  power  of  good  example. 

But  it  was  only  little  by  little  that  Mad- 
ame de  Doudeauville  exercised  this  gentle 
sway.  Before  gaining  the  souls  so  dear  to 
her,  her  own  had  much  to  suffer,  and  her 
isolation  was  still  very  complete,  when  they 
announced  to  her  that  her  husband  would 
soon  arrive. 

This  tidings  filled  her  with  hope.  She 
had  such  a  need  of  affection,  of  a  legitimate 
affection,  good,  simple,  true,  constant  .... 
was  she  about  to  experience  it  ?  .... 

She  fell  to  dreaming  of  happiness  as 
her  heart  understood  it :  the  conformity  of 
views  and  sentiments,  reciprocal  esteem, 
the  union  in  doing  good,  the  sharing  of  joys 
and  sorrows ;  she  had  much  to  give  :  what 
would  she  receive  in  return  ?  The  letters 
of  the  young  man  led  her  to  hope  that  he 
had  kept  himself  upright  and  pious  ;  but  he 
had  had  such  bad  surroundings !  That  last 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      55 

journey  to  Italy  with  his  father,  might  it 
not  have  changed  his  ideas  ?  All  these 
thoughts  chased  each  other  through  the 
head  of  the  young  duchess,  and  preoccu- 
pied her ;  she  prayed  much,  and  compelled 
herself  to  appear  gay. 

The  day  being  come ;  when  the  noise  of 
wheels  is  heard  in  the  court-yard  they  all 
rush  to  greet  the  travellers ;  the  young 
woman,  agitated,  well-nigh  frightened,  fol- 
lows the  move.  The  carriage  stops,  the 
carriage  door  opens,  but  the  poor  husband, 
under  the  pressure  of  an  emotion  which 
confuses  his  wits,  looks  without  seeing  any- 
thing, and  stands  motionless  ....  An  ex- 
pressive sign  from  his  father  wakes  him  up. 
He  gets  down,  opens  his  arms  to  the  first 
person  he  meets,  and  pressing  him  tenderly 
to  his  heart,  he  exclaims  :  "  My  dear  wife, 
what  happiness  to  see  you  again  ! "  It  was 
an  old  steward  of  sixty  years  who  received 
his  fond  embrace  ....  A  few  steps  off, 
the  duchess,  pale,  astonished  at  the  slight, 


56      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

looks  upon  the  scene,  of  which  she  was 
never  able  to  speak  with  indifference,  even 
in  her  old  age.  But  how  can  we  paint  her 
despair  when  she  sees  her  husband,  recov- 
ering from  the  mistake,  place  himself  be- 
fore her,  and  declaim  in  an  emphatic  tone, 
with  ridiculous  gestures,  a  bit  of  poetry  of 
questionable  taste.  "  Oh  me  ! "  she  says  in- 
wardly, "  he  will  be  worse  than  his  father !  " 
And  this  thought,  the  saddest  that  ever 
crossed  her  soul,  caused  her  to  faint.  They 
had  great  difficulty  in  bringing  her  to  her- 
self again. 

Being  taken  to  her  room,  she  received 
the  most  zealous  care,  especially  from  her 
father-in-law,  the  author  of  all  this  comedy, 
who  was  in  despair  at  the  serious  result. 
Wishing  to  convince  himself  of  the  intelli- 
gent capacity  of  his  daughter-in-law,  he 
had  amused  himself  by  making  these  bad 
verses,  and  had  arranged  the  programme 
for  his  son,  too  obedient  on  this  occasion. 
"  If  she  accepts  these  compliments,"  he 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      57 

said  to  himself,  "  she  is  a  fool  of  the  first 
order."  The  ordeal  was  terrible,  but  she 
was  happy  in  its  consequences.  Monsieur 
de  la  Rochefoucauld  began  to  suspect  that 
there  was  as  much  intelligence  as  virtue  in 
this  young  woman,  about  whom  the  judg- 
ment had  been  so  much  mistaken  ;  it  was 
necessary  that  the  young  man  should  make 
amends  for  the  nonsense  of  his  father ; 
and  thus  the  young  couple  had  a  good  and 
frank  explanation,  which  did  more  to  link 
their  lives  than  the  best  endeavours  of 
months  would  have  done.  Making  the 
most  of  their  liberty,  the  two  had  a  few 
years  of  happiness  as  complete  as  this 
world  can  offer. 

This  sweet  intimacy  was  momentarily 
interrupted  by  the  obligation  to  appear  at 
the  court  festivities,  so  brilliant  during  the 
first  years  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XVI.  The 
Tuileries,  Versailles,  Trianon,  Marly,  each 
in  turn  kindled  with  the  festive  fire.  Hunt- 
ing-parties, balls,  dramatic  parties,  concerts, 


58      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

amusements  of  all  kinds,  succeeded  each 
other. 

Alas,  it  was  not  long  before  the  thorns 
hidden  beneath  these  flowers  began  to  be 
cruelly  felt,  and  already  slander  and  cal- 
umny mingled  their  voices  with  peals  of 
laughter  in  this  volatile  society  which  was 
playing  on  a  precipice.  The  Duchess  of 
Doudeauville,  well  received  by  the  queen, 
the  princesses,  and  especially  by  Madame 
Elizabeth,  moved  amid  these  gayeties  with 
grace  and  dignity.  It  was  easy  to  see  that 
whether  she  won  approbation  or  not,  it  was 
all  one  to  her.  The  charm  which  emanated 
from  her  silenced  the  expressions  of  con- 
tempt for  the  great  youth  of  her  husband 
and  his  excessive  timidity. 

Thus  the  duke  relates  that,  happening  to 
be  one  day  at  Marly,  the  king  invited  him 
to  sup  with  his  family.  Hardly  was  he 
seated  at  table,  when  he  felt  himself  at- 
tacked by  sleep  so  heavily,  that,  despite  all 
his  efforts,  he  fell  into  a  somnolent  condi- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      59 

tion,  without  speaking  or  moving,  which 
lasted  from  the  beginning  of  the  repast  to 
the  end.  The  duchess,  unable  to  rouse  him 
from  his  lethargy,  busied  herself  so  well  to 
divert  attention  from  him,  that  Louis  XVI., 
who  was  perfectly  cognizant  of  this  grave 
impropriety,  made  as  though  he  had  not 
noticed  it. 

A  little  while  after,  the  Duke  of  Dou- 
deauville,  wide-awake  this  time,  had  an  op- 
portunity, in  his  turn,  to  take  his  wife's 
part.  The  way  in  which  he  acquitted  him- 
self reflects  credit  on  the  two. 

Dining  at  the  house  of  the  Prince  de 
Cond6,  he  had  the  pleasure  to  be  seated 
next  one  of  those  presumptuous  young 
persons  who  have  a  way  of  speaking  and 
touching  upon  every  subject  in  an  arbi- 
trary fashion,  and  who  insist  above  all 
upon  distinguishing  themselves  by  a  spirit 
of  opposition.  Among  a  hundred  different 
chance  remarks, -this  young  man,  without 
suspecting  that  he  was  addressing  her  hus- 


60      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

band,  pronounces  the  name  of  the  Duchess 

de   Doudeauville.     No  interruption 

He  goes  on  :  "  She  is  a  woman  whose 
charms  are  universally  praised,  but  she 
has  n't  enough  talent  to  please  me."  And 
the  young  pedant  states  reasons,  which, 
without  calling  out  any  words  of  surprise, 
make  his  silent  auditors  smile.  All  at  once 
one  of  the  guests  accosts  the  Duke  of 
Doudeauville  by  name.  His  poor  neigh- 
bor red,  confused,  embarrassed,  stammers, 
attempts  to  retract  his  first  assertion. 
"  Calm  yourself,  my  dear  friend,"  said  the 
duke,  "  be  calm,  I  beg.  For  a  woman  like 
Madame  de  Doudeauville,  the  essential 
thing  is  that  she  should  please  her  hus- 
band. Console  yourself,  then  ;  your  opin- 
ion will  not  change  mine.  I  find  my  wife 
accomplished  in  every  particular." 

In  proportion  as  we  advance  in  this  nar- 
rative, which  we  do  not  fear  to  call  the  life 
of  a  saint,  we  shall  always  find  new  proofs 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      6 1 

that  faith,  intelligent  religion,  illumined 
piety,  are  admirably  united  in  her  heart 
with  the  tender  and  legitimate  affections 
which  they  sanctify  in  order  that  they  may 
be  eternal. 

Madame  de  Doudeauville  loved  very 
dearly  her  sister,  the  Countess  of  Montes- 
quiou.  Brought  up  by  a  peculiar  mother, 
they  had  comforted  each  other  in  their 
childish  sorrows.  And  when  married,  they 
continued  to  see  one  another  as  often  as 
possible.  Their  esteem  and  support  in  the 
practice  of  duty  amid  numerous  difficulties 
was  mutual.  No  cloud  ever  passed  across 
their  friendship. 

After  the  death  of  the  Marquis  of  Cour- 
tenvaux,  their  grandfather,  when  the  will 
was  read  to  the  two  young  women,  Ma- 
dame de  Montesquiou  being  thereby  ad- 
vantaged as  much  as  possible,  —  Madame 
de  Doudeauville  thus  dispossessed  of  a  part 
of  her  rights,  threw  herself  into  her  sister's 
arms,  crying:  "How  glad  I  am!"  She 


62      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

rejoiced  to  see  an  equilibrium  of  fortunes 
somewhat  restored  in  this  way. 

This  death  of  the  marquis  in  July  of  the 
year  1781,  called  the  duchess  to  the  suc- 
cession of  the  estates  of  Montmirail,  whose 
title  her  father  had  inherited,  without  the 
enjoyment  of  possession.  When  she  went 
to  claim  the  estate,  there  were  great  fetes 
throughout  the  country.  She  bore  her 
honours  with  charming  grace,  and  every- 
where showed  her  kindness  and  generosity 
towards  the  poor  —  in  very  truth,  such  a 
chatelaine  as  the  most  brilliant  poet's  imag- 
ination could  paint. 

Faithful  to  the  old  traditions  of  honour 
and  chivalry,  the  Duke  of  Doudeauville 
had  gone  into  the  army,  and  was  obliged 
to  leave  his  family  often  for  a  longer 
or  shorter  time.  He  suffered  from  this 
separation,  and  profited  by  all  his  free 
moments  to  return  to  a  wife  whom  he 
esteemed  and  cherished  more  and  more 
each  day,  whose  example  and  counsels  he 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      63 

felt  necessary  to  counterbalance  the  per- 
fidious insinuations  of  dangerous  friends. 
Invulnerable,  as  far  as  his  principles  were 
concerned,  he  was  on  the  point  of  giving 
up  religious  practices,  because  of  yielding 
to  feelings  of  exaggerated  scrupulousness, 
which  had  the  more  influence  over  him, 
as  his  natural  caution  predisposed  him  to 
anxiety.  His  position  obliged  him  to  take 
part  in  the  court  fetes  and  amusements. 
People  were  astonished  to  see  him  ap- 
proach the  sacraments  in  the  midst  of  such 
a  worldly  atmosphere ;  it  was  a  want  of 
respect  for  holy  things These  re- 
flections made  an  impression  upon  him, 
and  he  was  going  so  far  as  to  deprive  him- 
self of  his  paschal  communion,  when  a  free 
and  confidential  talk  with  his  wife  showed 
him  the  snare.  She  succeeded  admirably 
in  defining  the  difference  between  a  duty 
of  position  and  a  simple  natural  tempta- 
tion. 

She  who  watched    over  the  soul  of  her 


64      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

husband  in  this  way  had  another  mission  to 
fulfil  :  the  wise  and  faithful  wife  was  to 
become  in  a  still  more  perfect  degree  the 
model  mother. 


CHAPTER   III. 

APOSTLESHIP    IN   THE   FAMILY. 

AMONG  the  pictures  which  filial  piety 
preserves  with  religious  respect,  because 
they  recall  the  traits  of  a  saint  and  of  a 
mother,  there  is  one  which  has  our  prefer- 
ence, and  which  our  eyes  consider  with 
delight.  It  is  not  just  yet  that  of  the 
venerated  grandmother,  but  it  is  a  much 
finer  picture  than  the  beauty  before  which 
the  crowd  paused  in  admiration  ;  it  is  the 
young  mother,  beaming  with  happiness, 
who  carries  in  her  arms  her  precious  treas- 
ure. Joy,  love,  tenderness,  give  a  new 
colouring  to  the  habitual  expression  of  an- 
gelic sweetness,  and  the  picture  is  per- 
fect, for  little  Ernestine  is  like  a  bud  close 
to  the  flower.  Happy  in  existence,  she 
rests  smilingly  on  her  mother's  bosom. 
5 


66      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

Happy,  indeed,  the  child  placed  under 
such  an  aegis !  .  .  .  .  It  has  all  the 
blessings  of  earth,  and  all  the  favours  of 
heaven.  She  who  clasps  it  with  ecstasy  in 
her  arms,  who  watches  by  its  cradle,  is 
not  only  careful  to  ward  off  any  danger 
which  threatens  this  frail  existence,  but  she 
seeks  for  the  divine  breath  in  the  little 
creature  which  the  Lord  has  given  into  her 
keeping,  and  then  respect  mingles  with  her 
tenderness.  To  preserve  innocence,  to  keep 
this  little  heart  from  the  attacks  of  evil,  to 
fill  it  with  love  and  faith,  —  this  was  the 
habitual  thought,  the  constant  preoccupa- 
tion of  the  Duchess  of  Doudeauville.  She 
knew  that  very  early  impressions,  even  be- 
fore a  reasonable  age,  are  keen  and  lasting, 
and  therefore  was  very  careful  that  her 
daughter,  and  the  son  whom  she  had  two 
years  after,  should  have  only  good  exam- 
ples before  their  eyes.  Obliged  to  have 
somebody  to  take  her  place  at  times  with 
the  children,  she  chose  with  the  greatest 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      67 

care  the  individuals  who  were  to  help  her 
in  developing  these  young  intelligences, 
and  in  feeding  them  with  truth.  No  ridic- 
ulous stories,  no  absurd  tales  ;  and  yet  the 
lively  and  ardent  imagination  of  Ernestine 
and  Sosthenes  had  a  share  in  the  marvel- 
lous which  charms  from  the  very  cradle, 
for  the  secret  instinct  of  our  future  great- 
ness causes  us  to  look  beyond  the  horizon. 
But,  instead  of  vain  chimeras,  the  dear 
mother,  without  leaving  realities,  trans- 
ported her  children  into  a  world  of  en- 
chantment. She  showed  them  heaven,  its 
beauties,  the  place  prepared,  the  crown 
promised.  She  talked  to  them  of  the  an- 
gels, of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  kept  these 
gracious  figures  before  their  eyes ;  but, 
above  all,  she  represented  to  them  the 
child  Jesus,  the  divine  model,  whose  feet 
and  hands  they  lovingly  kissed.  Then 
came  the  history  of  the  saints  and  mar- 
tyrs ;  and  as  nature  desires  contrasts,  in 
opposition  to  the  open  heavens,  instead 


68      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

of  monsters  and  phantoms,  the  mother 
showed  them  hell,  the  invisible  enemy  who 
is  incessantly  prowling  for  us,  and  the 
guardian  angel  charged  with  our  protec- 
tion. She  insinuated  her  own  sentiments 
into  the  minds  of  the  children,  who  re- 
ceived from  her  a  second  life.  They  loved 
all  that  she  loved  ;  what  she  thought  beau- 
tiful enchanted  them  ;  when  she  was  af- 
fected, their  tears  flowed,  —  a  wonderful 
influence,  whose  extent  Madame  de  Dou- 
deauville  fully  realized.  One  might  say  that 
she  had  in  herself  the  destiny  of  her  chil- 
dren. 

To  preserve  their  simplicity,  and  attract- 
ive ingenuousness,  she  would  allow  nei- 
ther strangers  nor  the  immediate  family  to 
make  idols  of  them,  or  to  notice  their  words 
and  little  ways ;  but  she  accustomed  them 
to  be  nice  to  all,  cautioning  them  always  to 
thank  those  who  had  done  them  a  kind- 
ness. She  taught  them  to  do  their  chari- 
ties graciously,  and  to  know  how  to  deprive 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      69 

themselves  of  a  gratification  in  order  to 
have  more  to  give.  Their  greatest  reward 
was  to  go  to  see  a  poor  person,  and  give 
him  the  fruit  of  some  sacrifice.  Dreading 
for  them  softness  and  vanity,  the  ordinary 
consequences  of  luxury  and  well-being,  she 
counteracted  these  dangerous  tendencies 
by  precept  and  example.  She  made  them 
understand  the  necessity  of  putting  them- 
selves aside,  and,  showing  them  the  cruci- 
fix, she  taught  them  gently  the  merit  of 
suffering,  thus  preparing  happiness  for 
them  much  more  surely  than  those  blind 
mothers  who  overload  their  children  with 
every  possible  indulgence,  under  the  pre- 
text of  making  them  enjoy  at  least  their 
early  years.  These  seek  to  banish  any 
shadow  of  annoyance,  and  thus  weakened, 
the  children  become  incapable  of  bear- 
ing the  trials  which  await  them.  The 
mother  who  is  truly  wise,  while  blunting 
the  thorn,  still  allows  her  child  to  feel  it 
sometimes.  She  shows  him  difficulty,  aids, 


70      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

encourages  him,  and  makes  him  feel  the 
merit  and  the  happiness  of  winning  a  vic- 
tory over  himself.  It  is  thus  that  she  fits 
him  for  the  struggles  of  life.  The  beauti- 
ful and  touching  stories  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testament  served  admirably  as  texts 
for  the  teaching  of  Madame  de  Doudeau- 
ville.  These  striking  pictures  of  vice  and 
virtue,  of  rewards  and  punishments  ;  these 
portrayals  in  glowing  colours,  the  miracles 
which  shine  out  from  the  simplicity  of  the 
first  ages,  —  all  this,  while  giving  a  powerful 
interest  to  the  Bible  tales,  left  an  indelible 
impression  upon  the  mind  of  the  dear  chil- 
dren. 

It  was  the  mother  who  received  their 
little  confidences.  Their  joys  and  griefs, 
troubles  and  delights,  all  were  brought  to 
this  heart,  indulgent  without  weakness,  and 
they  ran  quickly  to  tell  her  of  their  naugh- 
tiness. She  educated  their  conscience,  and 
was  always  so  patient,  so  kind,  that  neither 
the  brother  nor  sister  thought  of  finding  a 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      7 1 

friend  elsewhere.  This  filial  confidence  was 
the  safeguard  of  Mademoiselle  Ernestine, 
who  had  the  happiness  to  stay  under  her 
mother's  protection  until  her  marriage. 
The  revolutionary  storms  obliged  Madame 
de  Doudeauville  to  be  separated  several 
times  from  her  son. 

Whilst  she  discharged  her  maternal  du- 
ties in  this  way,  she  continued  her  apos- 
tolic mission  in  her  husband's  family,  a 
mission  which,  though  silent,  was  not  the 
less  active.  Her  zeal  for  God  consumed 
her,  but  her  perfect  tact  made  her  wait  for 
the  favourable  moment.  Madame  de  la 
Rochefoucauld  was  the  first  to  yield. 
After  admiring  her  daughter-in-law,  she 
soon  came  to  imitate  her,  and  to  associate 
herself  with  her  heartily  in  her  practices 
and  good  works. 

Another  person  soon  gave  herself  up  to 
this  happy  influence,  but  for  a  long  time 
secretly.  The  Countess  of  Durtal,  at  the 
same  time  under  the  spell  of  virtue  and 


72      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

the  influence  of  old  prejudices,  became  the 
victim  of  internal  conflicts,  which  the 
young  duchess  did  not  suspect,  and  of 
which  she  was  the  principal  cause.  This 
is  what  she  says  of  it  later  :  — 

"  I  loved  my  sister-in-law  well,  and  was 
much  loved  by  her.  I  never  ceased  to  pray 
for  her.  When  we  were  together,  and  I  saw 
her  adroitly  divert  the  impious  or  scandal- 
ous conversation  which  she  felt  was  disa- 
greeable to  me,  I  was  extremely  touched. 
I  longed  to  show  her  my  gratitude,  and  to 
speak  to  her  of  God,  but  was  always  re- 
strained by  the  fear  of  not  being  skilful 
enough  to  meet  her  objections.  I  felt,  be- 
sides, that  a  conversion  of  this  kind  is 
oftener  the  effect  of  an  internal  touch  of 
grace  than  of  controversy ;  all  of  which 
did  not  prevent  me,  however,  from  writing 
her  long  letters,  in  which  I  refuted  one  by 
one  the  errors  which  I  had  heard  her  ex- 
press. I  felt  myself  stronger  with  my  pen 
than  I  would  have  been  in  conversation ; 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      73 

but  as  yet  I  had  given  her  none  of  this 
manuscript,  when  one  day  she  came  into 
my  room  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
All  in  tears,  she  threw  herself  into  my  arms, 
and  cried,  — 

" '  I  can't  hold  out ;  I  have  n't  closed  my 
eyes  the  whole  night ;  everything  in  you 
preaches  to  me  except  your  words.  Why 
do  you  never  speak  to  me  of  God  ? ' 

"  I  took  her  then  to  my  desk,  and  putting 
in  her  hands  the  voluminous  pages,  said, — 

"'Read,  and  judge  whether  I  have 
thought  of  you. ' ' 

The  ice  was  broken  ;  there  were  long 
talks  between  the  sisters,  and  when,  a  few 
days  after,  Madame  de  Doudeauville  went 
to  Luchon,  she  received  a  letter  from  her 
mother-in-law,  who  announced  to  her  with 
much  happiness,  that  the  countess  had 
approached  the  sacrament.  Madame  de 
Montagu,  who  was  present  on.  the  receipt 
of  this  good  news,  saw  the  face  of  the 
duchess  suddenly  covered  with  tears. 


74      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"What  is  the  matter  ?"  she  said,  taking 
her  hand. 

Madame  de  Doudeauville  imparted  her 
happiness,  and  the  two  friends,  filled  with 
joy,  went  to  the  little  neighbouring  church 
to  express  their  gratitude  to  God.  It  was 
a  noble  victory;  for  Madame  de  Durtal, 
whose  soul  was  brave  and  generous,  giving 
herself  up  to  piety  with  fervour,  became 
a  model  of  Christian  virtues.  Her  conver- 
sion to  religion  preceded  by  only  five  years 
her  truly  heroic  death. 

The  Viscount  of  Rochefoucauld,  harder 
to  gain,  had,  nevertheless,  come  to  do  full 
justice  to  his  daughter-in-law.  He  showed 
her  attention,  consideration,  and  even  gave 
her  marks  of  particular  confidence.  The 
duchess  responded  by  kindnesses,  by  zeal- 
ous little  attentions  full  of  delicacy,  and 
she  was  so  successful,  that  the  viscount 
ended  by  finding  much  charm  in  her  so- 
ciety. This  happy  transformation  was 
to  have  a  result  ardently  desired  by  the 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      75 

young  woman,  and  one  which  the  skeptical 
mind  of  Monsieur  de  la  Rochefoucauld  had 
allowed  her  scarcely  to  hope  for.  On  a  sud- 
den a  grave  malady  declares  itself ;  danger 
becomes  imminent ;  the  progress  of  the 
disease  is  so  rapid  that  Monsieur  de  Dou- 
deauville,  on  a  visit  to  one  of  his  estates  at 
the  time,  hastens  with  all  speed  to  Paris, 
but  arrives  only  at  the  last  moment ;  how- 
ever the  family  angel  was  watching  by 
the  dying  man,  and  wishing  that  the  father 
might  be  united  to  his  children  forever. 
Thanks  to  her  care,  the  viscount  received 
the  last  sacraments  with  full  conscious- 
ness, and  gave  evident  proofs  of  faith  and 
of  repentance.  Before  dying  he  turned  to 
his  daughter-in-law,  and  said,  in  a  trem- 
bling voice,  "  I  hope,  my  dear  child,  that 
you  are  satisfied  with  me." 

In  her  sorrow  the  duchess  experienced  a 
very  sweet  consolation ;  the  Lord,  in  giv- 
ing her  this  soul,  repaid  her  generously  for 
the  sufferings  she  had  endured  in  entering 


76      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

her  second  family.  She  mourned  her 
father-in-law,  in  whom  she  had  recognized 
a  heart  upright  and  kind,  beneath  the  de- 
lusions of  his  mind ;  but  she  silenced  her 
own  emotion,  to  devote  herself  to  the  hus- 
band, whose  grief  was  so  poignant,  that 
for  twenty-four  hours  he  could  not  collect 
himself. 

This  death,  which  happened  in  1789,  left 
the  affairs  of  the  family  household  in  great 
confusion,  and  left,  too,  a  succession  of 
enormous  debts,  due  to  the  bad  administra- 
tion of  a  steward  in  whom  the  viscount  had 
full  confidence.  Charged  with  the  conduct 
of  the  affairs  of  Madame  de  Doudeauville 
as  well,  in  the  first  year  of  her  married 
life,  this  incapable  man  had  occasioned  a 
deficit  of  a  hundred  thousand  francs  within 
a  few  months.  Justly  alarmed  at  the  preci- 
pice upon  which  they  were  hanging,  the 
duke  and  the  duchess  made  a  resolve 
which  proves  a  determination  very  rare  at 
the  age  of  seventeen.  Considering  all  dis- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      77 

cussion  useless,  and  all  amendment  im- 
possible, they  confided  the  care  of  their 
property  to  another  man  of  business  cho- 
sen by  them,  who  found  means  to  repair 
the  breach  without  touching  their  capital. 
With  the  same  skill,  he  promptly  got  into 
order  the  estate  of  the  Viscount  of  Roche- 
foucauld. The  duchess  on  all  these  oc- 
casions had  a  sound  judgment,  and  a 
presence  of  mind  which  was  remarkable  ; 
her  great  natural  kindness  of  heart  did  not 
prevent  her  from  being  firm  in  a  resolu- 
tion inspired  by  justice,  tending  to  a  good 
result. 

We  have  spoken  of  '89,  which  is  to  speak 
of  a  year  of  storms.  People  began  to  trem- 
ble. Some  tried  to  reassure  themselves ; 
but  the  Duke  of  Doudeauville,  profoundly 
afflicted,  and  foreseeing  only  a  fatal  issue, 
had  the  happy  inspiration  to  separate  his 
own  property  from  that  of  his  wife.  His 
relatives  and  friends  sought  in  vain  to  dis- 
suade him  from  a  project  in  which  they 


78      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

saw  no  advantage  to  him.  To  give  over  to 
a  woman  of  twenty-five  years  a  revenue  of 
more  than  a  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
francs  was  folly  in  their  eyes.  Despite 
these  numerous  protests,  the  duke  per- 
sisted in  his  resolution,  and  thus  saved  the 
fortune  of  his  children.  He  knew  well 
that  he  could  confidently  trust  the  wife 
and  mother. 

Being  chosen  bailiff  of  Chartres,  he  had 
to  preside  in  his  office  over  an  assembly  of 
six  hundred  persons,  for  the  election  of  the 
deputies  to  the  States-General.  A  large 
faction  attempted  to  break  his  presidency, 
protesting  against  the  royal  nomination. 
He  stood  firm  and  succeeded  in  calming 
their  minds  ;  but  what  was  his  embarrass- 
ment when,  after  the  opening  speech,  they 
demanded  that  the  voting  should  be  per 
head  and  not  per  order,  contrary  to  the 
instructions  given.  To  triumph  over  this 
difficulty,  the  duke  pursued  a  course  which, 
while  it  allowed  him  to  remain  faithful  to 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      79 

his  duty,  raised  neither  murmur  nor  op- 
position. "Before  determining  this  ques- 
tion," he  said,  "  we  must  verify  our  creden- 
tials, and  must  divide  in  order  to  hasten 
the  process.  The  halls  are  in  readiness." 
Then  inviting  the  nobles  to  go  out  with 
him,  and  the  bishop  to  march  at  the  head 
of  his  clergy,  he  rose  and  immediately  each 
one  followed  his  president. 

The  orders  being  thus  separated,  the 
duke  took  great  care  not  to  bring  them  to- 
gether again.  Notwithstanding  this  ingen- 
ious manoeuvre,  the  entire  assembly  re- 
turned him  a  warm  vote  of  thanks  ;  but  not 
having  attained  the  eligible  age  for  national 
representative,  he  could  not  take  a  place  in 
the  Constituent  Assembly. 

He  was  obliged,  then,  so  to  speak,  to  re- 
main a  dumb  witness  of  the  insane  scenes 
which  were  the  prelude  to  the  bloody  ca- 
tastrophe. Absolutely  powerless  to  stop 
the  revolutionary  tide,  he  decided  to  go  to 
Italy  with  all  his  family. 


8o      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

They  went  by  way  of  Nice,  and  he  at- 
tempted to  cross  the  Var  by  fording :  it 
was  an  imprudence ;  let  us  listen  while  he 
describes  this  perilous  adventure :  — 

"  For  several  days  people  had  not  crossed 
the  river,  for  the  abundant  rains  had  trans- 
formed it  into  a  torrent,  nearly  an  eighth  of 
a  mile  in  width  ;  our  six  horses  stopped, 
unable  to  stem  the  force  and  rapidity  of 
the  water,  which  came  into  the  carriage  in 
quantity.  All  the  efforts  of  our  postilions 
and  guides  became  useless  ;  the  danger  was 
increasing,  when  I  saw  on  the  bank,  at  a 
little  distance,  six  post  horses  which  came 
from  Nice.  I  threw  myself  on  the  backs 
of  two  men,  for  one  would  not  have  been 
enough,  to  go  in  search  of  this  unexpected 
succour.  The  drivers  of  these  horses  had 
to  be  much  coaxed,  and  yielded  to  my  en- 
treaties only  when  they  saw  the  gleam  of 
several  louis  which  I  promised  them,  if 
they  would  come  to  our  aid ;  they  had,  in 
fact,  great  trouble  to  rejoin  their  carriage. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      8 1 

"  It  was  also  most  difficult  to  induce  my 
guides  to  carry  me  back  to  the  perilous 
place  from  which  they  had  brought  me. 
My  wife  and  children  were  still  there.  I 
wanted  to  save  them,  or  perish  with  them  ; 
at  last,  after  the  most  unheard-of  efforts, 
and  by  the  help  of  God,  we  emerged  from 
the  torrent  ;  we  arrived  soon  after  at  Nice, 
and  thence  reached  Genoa." 

The  rank  of  Spanish  grandee  gave  con- 
siderable rights  to  the  titled  stranger  in 
this  city.  He  enjoyed  the  same  privileges 
with  the  doge,  so  that  it  was  only  neces- 
sary to  mention  his  title,  and  the  chains 
were  let  down  which  prevented  the  pas- 
sage of  carriages  in  most  of  the  streets. 
After  the  hour  for  closing  the  gates,  he 
could  have  them  opened,  and  he  profited  by 
this  to  pass  his  evenings  in  the  neighbor- 
ing country-places,  where  the  greater  part 
of  the  noble  families  were  installed  for  the 
fine  season.  The  important  personages  re- 
maining in  Genoa,  the  senators  and  sover- 

6 


82      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

eigns  of  the  country  would  request  the  fa- 
vour of  accompanying  the  young  emigrant, 
in  order  to  return  with  him  after  the  reg- 
ular hour. 

This  several  months'  sojourn  was  marked 
by  an  incident  which  the  perfect  discretion 
of  the  good  duchess  has  always  concealed, 
but  which  her  husband  has  revealed  for  the 
purpose  of  doing  homage  to  a  virtue  such 
as  one  seldom  meets  with. 

The  life  of  pleasure,  beneath  an  enchant- 
ing sky,  was  not  without  its  dangers  for  a 
very  active  young  man  of  twenty-five,  of  a 
sensitive  and  impressionable  nature.  For 
lack  of  serious  occupation  he  sought  the 
society  of  agreeable  companions,  and  the 
long  hours  spent  with  a  beautiful  Italian 
woman  ended  by  so  completely  charming 
him,  that  he  was  no  longer  master  of  his 
imagination.  A  little  more,  and  his  heart 
would  not  have  belonged  to  him. 

What  must  the  pious  duchess  have  un- 
dergone then  ?  She  has  never  alluded  to 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.     83 

the  secret  pain  which  was  caused,  doubt- 
less, by  the  change  suddenly  come  over 
her  husband,  and  of  which  she  was  per- 
fectly conscious  ;  she  did  not  speak  of  it ; 
but  this  is  what  she  tells  us  of  this  period 
of  her  life  :  — 

"The  world,"  she  says,  "had  upset  all 
the  ideas  upon  the  simple  and  natural  re- 
lations of  man  and  God,  which  I  had  made 
for  myself.  I  was  sick  at  heart  for  the 
perversity  and  error  which  I  discovered. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  I  was  participating 
in  this  impiety,  and  I  dared  no  longer 
approach  the  holy  table.  Once,  my  fear 
was  so  great,  that  while  in  church  I  had 
almost  fainted.  I  was  devoured  by  scru- 
ples, which  I  could  neither  analyze  nor  ex- 
plain to  my  confessor.  I  addressed  myself 
to  a  Jesuit  father  ;  happily,  he  was  a  judi- 
cious man,  who  never  discussed.  He  cured 
me  by  prescribing  for  me  an  act  of  obedi- 
ence, which  I  shall  always  remember  with 
emotion.  I  was  then  at  Genoa,  and  so 


84      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

unhappy,  because  of  all  that  was  taking 
place  within  me,  that,  not  content  with 
going  to  confession  on  the  eve  of  my  com- 
munions, I  returned  again  in  the  morning, 
although  I  had  to  go  a  long  distance  for  it, 
and  I  could  not  always  decide  to  approach 
the  holy  mysteries  then.  One  day  when  I 
presented  myself  for  a  fresh  absolution,  my 
confessor,  instead  of  listening,  said,  ad- 
dressing me :  '  Are  you  fasting  ? '  '  Yes, 
my  father.'  '  Very  well ;  go  to  the  holy  ta- 
ble ;  I  will  give  you  communion."  I  obeyed, 
trembling,  and  from  that  moment  my  ter- 
rors ceased." 

It  is  probable  that  the  suffering  of  the 
heart  had  contributed  to  augment  and  to 
keep  up  this  so  painful  condition  of  soul. 
However  that  may  be,  always  mistress  of 
herself,  and  always  trusting  in  the  divine 
protection,  the  duchess  changed  in  no  re- 
spect her  demeanour  towards  her  husband  ; 
she  evinced  the  same  tenderness  towards 
him,  and  if  a  shade  of  sadness  passed  over 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.     85 

her  face,  this  tacit  reproach  was  full  of 
sweetness  ;  it  would  have  roused  him  who 
merited  it,  most  certainly,  if  the  fascination 
of  the  moment  had  not,  as  usual,  thrown 
over  the  danger  the  illusion  fitted  to  falsely 
reassure  the  conscience,  "  I  shall  go  no 
farther." 

Madame  de  Doudeauville  had  too  much 
good  judgment  not  to  see  the  only  remedy 
needful ;  she  did  not  wish  to  impose  it,  but 
proposed  it  with  her  ordinary  gracefulness. 

One  day,  taking  advantage  of  a  letter 
from  her  sister  who  announced  the  resolu- 
tion of  going  abroad,  she  expressed  to  her 
husband  the  desire  to  join  her.  He,  deeply 
moved  by  the  proposition,  yielded  never- 
theless, and  in  the  fear  of  missing  a  meet- 
ing at  Annecy,  he  did  not  defer  the  depar- 
ture for  a  moment.  But  his  heart  is  sick, 
sad,  sorrowful ;  he  exercises  his  ennui  among 
the  wild  and  majestic  mountains  of  Savoy, 
without  succeeding  in  dissipating  it ;  his 
wife,  not  ignorant  of  the  cause  of  this  mel- 


86      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

ancholy,  although  up  to  this  time  she  had 
maintained  a  silence  full  of  dignity  and  dis- 
cretion, now  addresses  him  with  a  gentle 
serenity,  saying  affectionately :  "  You  are 
troubled ;  I  know  it,  I  see  it ;  why  not 
speak  to  me  ?  I  will  share  the  trouble 
with  you,  and  may  I  not,  perhaps,  lessen 
it?" 

Much  touched  by  these  advances,  the 
duke  responded,  by  the  most  entire  confi- 
fidence ;  he  concealed  nothing,  and  the 
weight  which  oppressed  his  heart  painfully, 
was  immediately  lightened.  "  This  avowal," 
he  says,  "  solicited  with  so  much  grace  and 
received  with  so  much  indulgence,  did  me 
good,  and  reestablished  a  little  calm  in  my 
soul ;  the  result  was,  that  I  did  not  return 
to  Genoa,  in  accordance  with  my  previous 
plan." 

We  understand  that  one  must  have  es- 
tablished a  dwelling  higher  than  the  earth, 
to  dare  thus  to  trouble  certain  waves  in 
order  to  calm  them.  Madame  de  Dou- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      87 

deauville,  in  the  eyes  of  her  husband,  as 
well  as  of  her  friends,  was  placed  in  a 
higher  sphere,  where  human  passions  could 
not  reach  her. 

A  stay  of  fifteen  months  in  the  town  of 
Annecy  was  pleasant  to  the  exiles,  and  yet 
more  improving  to  their  piety.  The  nu- 
merous souvenirs  left  by  Saint  Francis  de 
Sales  in  the  country  and  environs,  living 
witnesses  of  the  most  ardent  charity,  im- 
pressed the  Duke  de  Doudeauville.  He 
made  serious  and  salutary  reflections  here ; 
circumstances  were  favourable  to  this  ;  the 
condition  of  France,  the  uncertainty  and 
gravity  of  events,  human  vicissitudes,  this 
frailty  which  he  could  already  comprehend 
and  feel,  all  combined  to  make  him  the  bet- 
ter appreciate  the  wisdom  of  him  who  had 
consecrated  his  life  to  bringing  wandering 
souls  back  to  God.  While  praying  by  this 
tomb,  he  felt,  in  his  turn,  the  desire  of 
loudly  declaring  his  faith.  Until  then,  his 
natural  timidity  made  him  sensitive  to  pub- 


88      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

lie  opinion.  He  now  adopted  the  firm  res- 
olution to  proclaim  himself  everywhere  and 
always  by  faith  and  practice.  The  duchess 
thanked  God  for  the  religious  growth  of 
her  husband,  and  herself  tasted  the  sweets 
of  a  retreat  which  the  noisy  festivities  of 
Genoa  made  all  the  more  precious  to  her. 
For  the  trial  being  past,  the  soul  feels  itself 
brave  and  happy  ;  what  it  has  suffered  by 
the  grace  of  God,  it  would  at  no  price  cut 
out  of  its  life.  Hence,  while,  in  following 
with  interest  the  phases  of  an  existence 
which  excites  our  admiration  as  much  as 
our  love,  we  feel  by  the  beating  of  our 
heart,  the  extent  of  certain  sacrifices,  we 
would  never  wish  to  tear  out  those  pages 
where  the  apogee  of  glory  is  reached  to- 
gether with  the  apogee  of  suffering. 

The  noble  exiles  had  put  themselves  in 
communication  with  the  house  of  Sales, 
which  kept  up  some  of  the  pious  hospitality 
of  the  holy  bishop.  Visits  became  fre- 
quent, to  the  satisfaction  of  both  families, 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      89 

for  it  did  not  take  long  to  recognize  the 
merit  of  Madame  de  Doudeauville,  as  emi- 
nent as  it  was  modest. 

She  also  made,  in  Savoy,  the  acquain- 
tance of  the  Abbe  of  Etyola,  to  whom  she 
was  to  render  an  important  service  during 
the  French  Revolution.  This  worthy  ec 
clesiastic,  seeing  her  taste  for  the  good  and 
the  poor,  spoke  to  her  of  a  most  miserable 
woman,  who,  although  her  body  was  griev- 
ously afflicted,  was  visited  by  the  Lord 
by  sensible  favours;  for  instance,  after  her 
communions,  when  she  thought  herself 
alone  in  the  church,  she  would  give  thanks, 
aloud,  in  a  touching  way,  and  she  would 
then  say  remarkable  things,  inspired,  no 
doubt,  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Madame  de 
Doudeauville  went  to  visit  her.  Affected 
by  the  pitiable  condition  of  this  poor  crea- 
ture, who  dragged  herself  about  on  her 
knees  and  elbows,  she  proposed  to  cut 
her  nails,  which  had  grown  extremely  long. 
The  unfortunate  woman,  looking  atten- 


90      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

tively  at  her  whom  her  sad  fate  had  so 
moved,  at  first  held  out  her  hand  as  if 
about  to  accept  the  service,  but  she  drew 
it  back  hastily  at  the  moment  when  the 
duchess  approached  with  scissors,  and  said, 
in  a  voice  full  of  expression,  "  It  is  enough, 
you  do  not  despise  the  poor,  the  members 
of  Jesus  Christ." 

After  her  return  to  France,  Madame  de 
Doudeauville  learned  with  pleasure  from 
the  Abbe  d'Etyola,  that  this  holy  woman 
had  prayed  for  her  before  her  death. 

The  short  rest  at  Annecy,  the  repose  in 
prayer  and  in  the  peaceful  contemplation  of 
the  beauties  of  nature,  these  were  a  prep- 
aration for  the  great  struggles  for  which 
every  quarter  of  France  seemed  already  to 
have  given  the  signal. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1792,  the 
Duke  of  Doudeauville  took  his  way  back  to 
Paris,  where  he  wished  to  wind  up  some 
affairs,  and  to  inform  himself  of  the  state  of 
men's  minds.  His  wife,  full  of  the  desire 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.     91 

to  follow  him,  had  begged  him  to  ask  his 
friends  if  it  would  not  be  possible  to  re- 
turn ;  the  general  opinion  being  favourable, 
they  quitted  foreign  soil.  But  Monsieur 
de  Doudeauville,  in  spite  of  his  dislike  of 
emigration,  carried  away  by  the  hope  of 
saving  the  king  and  freeing  his  country 
from  a  hateful  tyranny,  soon  separated  him- 
self from  all  that  he  held  most  dear.  With 
death  in  his  soul,  he  bade  farewell  to  all 
his  own,  and  betook  himself  to  the  banks 
of  the  Rhine,  to  put  his  sword  for  a  time  at 
the  service  of  a  cause  which  he  believed 
would  bring  deliverance  to  his  country. 
But  after  a  first  sad  campaign,  when  he 
perceived  that  the  powers  in  league  con- 
cealed ambitious  designs  under  the  avowed 
project  of  delivering  the  king  and  restor- 
ing order  to  France,  he  left  the  army  and 
condemned  himself  to  a  weary  waiting. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DURING  THE   REVOLUTION. 

THE  Duchess  of  Doudeauville,  whom 
the  applause  of  the  court  left  indifferent, 
and  who  remained  calm,  humble,  and 
consequently  strong  in  prosperity,  is  now 
ready  to  meet  the  perils  of  the  revolution. 
The  events  which  are  about  to  bring  her 
in  contact  with  difficulties  of  every  kind, 
will  reveal  to  us  how  much  courage  and 
heroic  charity  is  contained  in  a  heart  where 
God  has  established  his  reign.  Faithful  to 
her  mission,  we  shall  see  her  always  pru- 
dent, but  yet  more  devoted,  forgetting  her 
own  danger  to  sustain  those  belonging  to 
her,  to  succour  the  unhappy,  and  to  defend 
the  interests  of  religion  wherever  there 
is  opportunity. 

At  all  times,  when  she  is  at  liberty,  we 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      93 

see  her  by  the  bed-side  of  the  sick,  at  the 
prison  door ;  she  finds  the  priest  and  ac- 
companies him  to  the  dying  ;  she  saves  the 
holy  eucharist  from  profanation,  even  at 
the  peril  of  her  life.  Thus,  she  receives 
one  day  from  the  hands  of  a  priest,  who 
has  just  administered  the  last  sacraments, 
and  fears  that  he  may  be  arrested,  the 
Pyx  in  which  are  several  consecrated  frag- 
ments ;  full  of  respect,  she  carries  it  away 
and  places  it  lovingly  in  her  prie-Dieu, 
where  she  has  already  been  permitted  to 
preserve  a  wafer  to  communicate  herself 
in  danger  of  death.  In  spite  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  the  times,  she  found  means  of 
having  the  Blessed  Sacrifice  celebrated  in 
her  house  nearly  every  day. 

She  learns  that  at  the  Visitation,  Rue  du 
Bac,  after  having  imprisoned  the  chaplain, 
they  had  affixed  seals  to  the  tabernacle, 
while  waiting  for  the  priest,  who  had  taken 
the  civic  oath.  Profoundly  affected  at  the 
thought  of  a  profanation,  in  order  to  avoid 


94     Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

it,  she  proposes  removing  the  reserved  sac- 
rament at  her  own  risk  and  peril.  The 
superior,  while  praising  her  zeal,  refuses  ; 
for  even  if  she  had  consented  to  expose 
herself  personally,  she  could  not  compro- 
mise, as  she  must  infallibly  have  done,  the 
virtuous  duchess  and  all  the  nuns. 

In  vain  is  the  sentence  of  death  pro- 
nounced against  those  who  give  an  asylum 
to  the  faithful  priests.  Madame  de  Dou- 
deauville  conceals  in  her  house  a  German 
ecclesiastic,  and  as  considerate  as  she  is 
generous,  she  desires  that  the  Abbe  Vin- 
climput  should  not  know  the  price  at  which 
he  received  his  kind  hospitality  ;  but  a  ser- 
vant in  the  secret,  fearful,  no  doubt,  for  his 
mistress,  and  a  little  for  himself,  warns  the 
good  priest,  who  exclaims  :  "  I  should  be 
wretched  if  my  stay  here  should  expose  the 
respected  people  to  whom  I  owe  every- 
thing." Notwithstanding  the  solicitation 
of  the  good  duchess,  he  changed  his  asy- 
lum at  once  ;  he  is  arrested  the  next  day, 
and  mounts  the  scaffold. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      95 

Madame  de  Doudeauville  could  not  be 
forgotten.  On  the  28th  of  May,  1793, 
whilst  she  is  assisting  at  mass  with  her 
mother-in-law,  and  Madame  Durtal,  they 
tell  her  that  the  red  bonnets  are  coming  in 
by  the  court-yard  gate.  She  rises  promptly, 
goes  in  advance  of  them,  and  leading  them 
to  the  garden,  keeps  their  attention  until 
the  end  of  the  Blessed  Sacrifice.  When 
she  judges  there  has  been  time  for  the 
priest  to  escape,  she  enters  the  house  with 
her  dismal  visitors  ;  being  immediately  ar- 
rested by  them,  as  well  as  Madame  de  la 
Rochefoucauld  and  the  countess,  her  sister- 
in-law,  she  is  conducted  to  a  house  in  the 
Rue  de  Sevres,  which  served  for  barracks 
the  night  before.  As  she  is  about  to  enter, 
Mademoiselle  Ernestine,  then  eleven  years 
old,  throws  herself  into  her  mother's  arms, 
and  refuses  to  be  separated  from  her  ;  but 
they  tear  her  away  with  violence,  and  the 
tears  and  supplications  of  the  poor  child 
do  not  obtain  for  her  permission  even  to 


g6      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

come  to  see  her  from  whom  she  had  never 
been  separated.  Her  despair  rends  the 
mother  heart,  without  shaking  a  courage 
raised  above  human  attack.  Madame  de 
Doudeauville  leaves  to  her  daughter,  with 
her  blessing,  a  reassuring  word,  and  sur- 
mounting her  own  suffering,  she  tries  to  al- 
leviate the  grief  of  her  companions.  They 
are  all  three  put  in  one  ruinous  room, 
where  four  miserable  straw  mattresses  com- 
prise the  furniture.  The  courageous  duch- 
ess immediately  takes  two,  putting  one  on 
top  of  the  other,  and  makes  her  mother  and 
sister-in-law  sit  down,  lavishing  on  them 
the  most  eager  care. 

Quite  absorbed  in  making  this  abode  less 
painful,  she  asks  and  obtains  for  them  a 
few  comforts  ;  and  her  kindness  and  vir- 
tue make  such  an  impression  upon  their 
guards,  that  when,  after  a  detention  of  eight 
days,  the  noble  prisoners  are  set  at  liberty, 
there  is  a  general  rejoicing. 

But  Mademoiselle  Ernestine  tastes  but 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.      97 

for  a  little  while  the  happiness  of  being 
with  her  mother  again.  These  ladies,  ar- 
rested the  second  time,  are  subjected  to  an 
imprisonment,  less  rigourous,  but  longer 
than  the  first.  For  two  months  they  had 
to  undergo  visits,  searching,  questionings  ; 
to  hear  denunciations,  threats  of  death ; 
and  all  these  called  forth  the  brightness  of 
Madame  de  Doudeauville's  virtue,  without 
once  shaking  it :  sweet  and  patient,  she 
was  at  the  same  time  firm  and  dignified ; 
they  respected  while  they  admired  her. 

One  night,  having  thrown  a  little  water 
out  of  the  window,  before  going  to  bed,  she 
hears  directly  a  racket  all  about  her  room  ; 
the  guard  are  alarmed.  "What  can  that 
extraordinary  noise  be,"  say  they  ;  "without 
doubt  the  prisoner  has  passed  out  some 
conspirator's  letter."  It  seems,  indeed,  as 
if  the  country  may  be  in  danger !  They 
knock  at  her  door,  she  gets  up,  opens  it, 
and  answers  quietly,  —  "  Go  and  look,  my 
7 


98      Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

friends."  Out  of  countenance,  they  retire, 
and  leave  her  to  sleep  in  peace. 

On  regaining  her  liberty,  she  availed  of 
it  to  occupy  herself  with  her  children,  and 
to  carry  aid  to  numerous  sufferers.  She 
thought  to  have  breathed  freely  for  awhile 
with  her  mother  and  sister-in-law,  but  these 
two  ladies,  three  days  after  their  deliver- 
ance, are  again  arrested  and  shut  up  this 
time  with  some  English  nuns,  become 
themselves  absolute  prisoners  in  their  con- 
vent. What  contributed  to  save  Madame 
de  Doudeauville,  on  this  occasion,  was  pre- 
cisely what  should  have  lost  her.  Being  in- 
terrogated at  length  about  her  husband,  she 
answered  with  the  most  loyal  frankness  ;  to 
the  invectives  launched  against  the  emi- 
grant, she  responded,  by  taking  up  his  de- 
fence most  spiritedly,  for  all  the  repeated 
signs  from  her  mother-in-law,  who  trembled 
at  her  rashness. 

"  You  are  then  afflicted  at  his  absence  ? " 
they  said. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    99 

"Yes,  certainly." 

"  Then  you  miss  him  ?  " 

"Very  much." 

"Well,  citizen,  I  see  you  are  a  good 
woman  ;  we  will  do  you  no  harm." 

And  the  next  day,  in  fact,  when  the 
section  heard  the  report  of  the  interroga- 
tory, instead  of  condemning,  it  applauded 
this  courageous  frankness. 

The  wish  to  fulfil  at  the  same  time 
her  duty  towards  her  daughter,  her  sister, 
and  her  mother,  inspired  the  generous 
duchess  with  the  idea  of  going  with  her 
Ernestine  to  board  in  this  community  of 
English  ladies  where  her  dear  relatives 
were  staying.  The  superior  received  her 
with  open  heart ;  but  scarcely  was  she  in- 
stalled, when  a  new  and  yet  more  terrible 
misfortune  fell  upon  the  prisoners. 

The  hour  of  great  sacrifices  is  for  the 
true  Christian  the  hour  of  heroic  virtues. 
If  nature,  trembling  as  the  cup  of  bitter- 
ness approaches,  attempts  to  put  it  from 


ioo  Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

the  lips,  and  utters  that  cry  which  es- 
caped from  the  tenderest  love,  "  Let  it 
pass  from  me,"  grace  adds  after  the  exam- 
ple, and  through  the  strength  of  the  Di- 
vine Saviour,  "  Not  my  will,  but  Thine  be 
done."  Happy  the  soul  which  loses  neither 
faith  nor  trust  in  time  of  trial. 

On  the  8th  of  March,  1794,  the  Countess 
of  Durtal,  summoned  to  appear  before  the 
revolutionary  tribunal,  tears  herself  from 
her  mother's  embrace,  and  goes  to  receive 
calmly  the  sentence  of  death.  Conducted 
to  the  Conciergerie,  she  meets  there  Mon- 
sieur de  1'Aigle,  her  uncle,  the  involuntary 
author  of  her  arrest.  Admirable  design 
of  Providence !  While  the  count  groans, 
not  over  his  own  fate,  but  that  of  a  young 
woman  whom  he  has  compromised  by  an 
insignificant  letter  found  upon  her  writing- 
table,  she,  sublime  in  her  courage  and  piety, 
profiting  by  the  few  hours  that  remain,  be- 
comes the  apostle  of  the  condemned  noble- 
man ;  happy  to  buy,  by  the  shedding  of  her 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoitcauld.'  101 

own  blood,  the  happiness  of  bringing  a 
soul  to  God.  She  showed  herself  so  ad- 
mirable up  to  the  very  last  moment,  that 
her  guard,  affected,  prayed  with  her ;  one 
of  them  was  converted,  and  averred  that 
he  had  never  seen  so  beautiful  a  death. 

These  details  were  a  consolation  to 
Madame  de  Doudeauville,  who  had  made 
fabulous  efforts  to  force  her  way  to  the 
Conciergerie.  She  was  losing  a  sister,  a 
sweet  companion,  whom  a  conformity  of 
religious  feeling  had  made  peculiarly  dear 
for  five  years.  She  was  feeling,  keenly, 
too,  the  grief  of  her  mother-in-law ;  but  the 
thought  of  eternal  reunion  gave  to  her 
resignation  a  something  which  was  really 
celestial. 

She  learned  soon  after,  with  emotion, 
that  her  uncle,  the  Marshal  of  Mouchy- 
Noailles,  in  going  to  execution,  had  first 
pronounced  these  words  of  a  hero  and  mar- 
tyr :  "  At  the  age  of  eighteen  I  mounted 
to  the  assault  for  my  king ;  at  eighty,  I 
can  well  mount  the  scaffold  for  my  God !  " 


«  *  *  *      ' 

102  '  Madamt  de  la  Rochefoucauld, 

Things  went  on  very  fast  in  those  times, 
and  it  was  not  possible  for  friendship  to 
pour  the  balm  of  consolation  upon  the 
deepest  griefs,  in  peace.  Madame  de 
Doudeauville  sustained  the  Viscountess 
de  la  Rochefoucauld  after  the  death  of  her 
daughter ;  these  ladies  hoped  that  they 
need  no  more  be  parted,  and  now  a  decree 
of  the  Convention  obliges  all  of  the  nobility 
who  are  not  prisoners  to  leave  the  capital. 
This  was  a  fresh  stab  for  these  two  women, 
each  of  whom  seemed  indispensable  to  the 
other  ;  and  yet  it  was  not  a  subject  of  de- 
liberation. The  courageous  duchess  owed 
herself  before  everything  to  her  husband 
and  children ;  in  remaining  voluntarily  in 
Paris,  she  would  compromise  an  existence 
which  belonged  no  more  to  herself.  They 
separated  then,  notwithstanding  the  heart- 
breakings.  Always  in  presence  of  the  di- 
vine will,  in  which  she  read  every  event, 
Madame  de  Doudeauville  accepted  with 
equal  submission  good  and  ill,  and  she 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    103 

knew  how  to  communicate  this  feeling  ad- 
mirably to  those  who  had  to  do  with  her. 
Recommending  her  mother-in-law  to  the 
superior  of  the  community,  she  left  her  re- 
signed, and  disposed  to  await  better  days. 
But  in  order  to  get  away,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  ask  a  passport,  and  for  this,  she 
needed  nine  witnesses.  In  order  to  pro- 
cure these  witnesses,  the  good  duchess  who 
knew  nobody  in  the  quarter  where  the  con- 
vent was,  addresses  herself  to  the  gardener, 
who  brings  her  the  nine  sureties  the  next 
day.  Being  arrived  at  the  court  of  hear- 
ing, she  finds  a  poor  blind  nun  the  ob- 
ject of  universal  mockery ;  she  approaches 
her  kindly,  asks  about  the  business  which 
brings  her  there,  and  seeing  in  her  hand  a 
paper  needing  a  signature,  she  leads  her  to 
the  clerk's  office,  and  so  delivers  her  from 

the  public  ridicule Patiently  she  is 

going  to  wait  for  her  own  turn,  when  a 
witness  of  her  act  of  charity  says  to  the 
officer :  "  I  hope  you  will  allow  this  citizen 


IO4    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

to  pass  who  has  been  here  for  three  or 
four  hours."  Then  they  ask  her  quality. 
"  Ex-noble,"  she  answers.  The  questioner, 
who  wishes  to  save  her,  says  quickly,  in  a 
low  voice :  "  Say,  instead,  living  on  your 
income."  She  understands  and  repeats 
after  him  the  assertion  which  in  no  wise 
compromises  her  conscience. 

The  president,  touched  by  her  honesty, 
takes  her  name,  her  address,  and  giving 
her  his  own,  begs  her  in  any  need,  to  have 
recourse  to  him.  "  It  was,"  she  says,  sim- 
ply, "  my  beauty  and  my  youth  which  made 
him  interest  himself  for  me." 

Withdrawn  to  the  little  village  of  Wis- 
sous,  four  leagues  from  Paris,  she  contin- 
ues her  truly  apostolic  life,  all  the  time 
watching  over  the  education  of  her  chil- 
dren. Several  nuns  of  the  Visitation,  driven 
from  their  convent,  found  with  her  an  open 
hospitality,  the  retirement,  and  almost  the 
regularity  of  the  cloister.  Mesdames  de 
Barnage  and  de  Noland  take  pleasure  in 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    105 

giving  lessons  to  Mademoiselle  Ernestine, 
and  in  fitting  her  to  receive  her  first  com- 
munion. When  the  dear  child  has  reached 
her  twelfth  year,  they  transform  her  moth- 
er's room  into  a  chapel,  and  then,  pri- 
vately, takes  place  in  a  simple  and  touch- 
ing way,  the  greatest  act  of  her  life.  They 
had  to  surround  themselves  with  precau- 
tions, to  escape  all  eyes  ;  but  the  holy 
duchess  had  good  and  faithful  servants,  on 
whom  she  could  count. 

During  her  sojourn  at  Wissous,  Madame 
de  Doudeauville  learns  that  a  new-born 
baby  in  the  village  is  running  a  great  risk 
of  not  receiving  baptism,  because  the  pa- 
rents know  of  no  faithful  priest.  She  goes 
to  the  family  instantly,  proposes  her  daugh- 
ter Ernestine  for  god-mother,  and  asks 
them  to  trust  the  interesting  little  creature 
to  her  for  a  moment.  When  by  her  care 
the  waters  of  baptism  have  made  of  it  a 
child  of  God,  she  kisses  it  with  tenderness, 
and  while  giving  it  back  to  the  mother, 
watches  over  her  little  protegee  from  afar. 


io6    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

This  kiss,  this  blessing  of  a  saint,  can 
but  bring  the  child  happiness.  After  the 
death  of  her  daughter,  the  pious  duchess, 
engrossed  with  doing  in  her  name  and  to 
her  memory,  the  greatest  possible  good, 
will  not  forget  her  who  was  held  over  the 
baptismal  font.  Well  brought  up,  and 
afterwards  respectably  married,  the  second 
Ernestine  will  show  herself  worthy  of  her 
benefactress,  who,  to  her  dying  day  is  to 
count  among  her  chief est  joys  the  prosper- 
ity of  a  family  whose  happiness  she  made. 
She  will  receive  from  this  family  such  sin- 
cere tokens  of  gratitude,  as  that  she  will 
require  to  be  consoled  for  getting  her  re- 
compense here  below. 

As  long  as  a  civic  priest  officiated  in  the 
parish  of  Wissous,  the  duchess  never  ap- 
peared, but  went  to  hear  a  mass  said  pri- 
vately by  Monsieur  de  Bonnatier,  in  the 
house  of  Madame  de  Lucy.  But  so  soon  as 
a  faithful  pastor  came  back  to  the  little  vil- 
lage church,  she  betook  herself  there  with 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.  107 

all  speed,  and  gave  ornaments  and  vases 
for  the  altar,  that  there  might  be  no  delay 
in  celebrating  the  holy  offices  worthily. 

It  was  at  the  altar  that  she  sought  the 
strength  and  consolation  which  she  needed 
to  endure  a  painful  suspense.  In  almost 
complete  ignorance  of  the  fate  of  her  hus- 
band, she  often  asked  herself  if  he  might 
not  be  in  need  of  the  necessaries  of  life. 
At  his  departure,  she  had  given  him  the 
silver  plate  and  her  diamonds,  but,  might 
not  the  fruits  of  their  sale  be  already  spent  ? 
Did  he  know  of  the  death  of  his  sister? 
The  imprisonment  of  his  mother  ?  With- 
out an  answer  to  the  thousand  questions 
called  forth  by  a  tenderness  so  justly 
alarmed,  she  confided  her  grief  to  the  God 
of  her  heart,  who,  while  He  caused  her  to 
pass  through  trial,  had  always  marvellously 
sustained  her. 

One  day,  after  renewing  her  act  of  faith, 
she  finds  that  a  good  man  has  arrived,  de- 
puted by  the  Duke  de  Doudeauville,  to  fetch 


io8    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

her  as  well  as  the  children.  The  measures 
are  well  taken,  he  says.  By  means  of  a  dis- 
guise, she  is  to  pass  for  his  relative,  and 
will  so  cross  the  frontier.  With  what  ea- 
gerness does  the  duchess  ask  news  of  the 
poor  exile.  What  has  become  of  him  ? 
What  does  he  know  ?  Any  exchange  of 
letters  would  have  gravely  endangered  the 
messenger,  and  it  is  from  his  lips  that  she 
learns  the  sad  regrets  of  the  brother,  and 
the  anxiety  of  the  father  and  husband. 
This  is  how  Monsieur  de  Doudeauville  had 
known  the  death  of  his  sister. 

"  One  day,"  he  says,  "  at  Aix  la  Chapelle, 
as  I  was  reading  aloud,  according  to  my 
custom,  the  English  and  French  newspa- 
pers in  a  reading-room,  my  hearers  saw 
me  suddenly  turn  pale,  tremble,  and  pres- 
ently faint.  I  had  read  out  of  the  corner 
of  my  eye,  under  the  article,  Paris,  these 
three  lines:  "The  citizen  Durtal,  and  the 
citizen  de  TAigle  were  executed  yesterday, 
in  the  Place  of  the  Revolution."  It  was 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    109 

like  being  struck  by  lightning.  My  sister, 
whom  I  had  loved  so  tenderly  !  She  was 
a  widow,  and  if  they  had  killed  her,  I  said 
to  myself,  would  they  not  also  kill  the  wife, 
the  mother  of  the  emigrant  ?  My  existence 
became  a  perpetual  torture,  or  rather,  I 
ceased  to  live ;  the  post  days,  which  I 
awaited  with  a  mortal  impatience,  brought 
me  terrible  agony.  I  thought  to  find  in 
each  line  of  the  paper  the  condemnation  of 
those  who  were  so  dear  to  me.  How  does 
one  survive  such  anxiety  ? 

"  An  excellent  friend  of  Madame  de  Dou- 
deauville,  on  learning  this  tragic  event  and 
my  cruel  position,  left  Brussels  with  her 
husband  in  a  kind  of  cart,  the  only  car- 
riage which  their  limited  means  allowed 
them,  and  they  both  came  to  bring  me  the 
one  consolation  which  friendship  can  offer 
—  the  weeping  and  praying  together." 

This  excellent  friend  was  the  Marchion- 
ess of  Montagu,  a  truly  admirable  woman, 
who  was  soon  to  hear  that  her  mother, 


1 10    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

grandmother,  and  sister  had  just  swollen 
the  number  of  the  heroic  victims  of  the 
revolution. 

After  some  days  of  agony,  the  Duke  of 
Doudeauville,  trembling  for  his  wife  and 
children,  had  trusted  to  a  brave  Swiss  the 
mission  of  bringing  them  to  him.  There 
was  needed  for  this  a  sum  which  was  con- 
siderable in  proportion  to  the  financial  con- 
dition of  the  exile.  He  divided  with  his 
mother-in-law,  the  Marchioness  of  Mont- 
mirail,  who  had  taken  refuge  in  England,  a 
modest  income  of  four  thousand  five  hun- 
dred francs  ;  but,  what  were  all  privations 
compared  with  the  perspective  of  this  sword 
constantly  suspended  over  the  heads  which 
he  would  fain  have  saved  at  the  price  of 
his  blood  ? 

Madame  de  Doudeauville,  ready  to  brave 
all  perils  if  she  might  rejoin  her  husband, 
made  herself  ready  to  start ;  but  with  her 
customary  considerateness,  before  entering 
upon  the  journey,  she  inquires  whether  her 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 1 1 

departure  can  expose  anybody  to  danger. 
Her  devoted  servants  assure  her  they 
fear  nothing,  and,  if  it  were  necessary, 
would  give  their  lives  to  save  hers  ;  but 
her  landlord,  on  being  informed,  far  from 
using  the  same  language,  declares  that 
the  consequences  of  the  flight  will  fall 
upon  him,  and  that  if  Madame  de  Dou- 
deauville  leaves  his  house,  he  will  denounce 
her.  She  is  obliged  consequently  to  give 
up  the  journey. 

A  little  while  after,  this  courageous 
woman,  impelled  by  her  generous  zeal,  ex- 
posed herself  to  the  most  serious  danger. 

The  Abbe  of  Etyola,  whom  she  had 
known  at  Annecy,  being  at  Bordeaux,  in  the 
thickest  of  the  revolution,  is  arrested  there 
just  as  he  is  about  to  embark  for  the  Brit- 
ish Isles;  the  devoted  duchess  hears  that 
he  has  been  detained,  and  that  the  plan  is 
to  take  him  to  Guyane.  She  writes  in  a 
hurry  to  a  person  of  her  acquaintance,  beg- 
ging her  to  hasten  and  deliver  the  good 


ii2    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

abb£,  giving  him  in  her  name  three  thousand 
francs.  This  unsigned  note,  being  taken 
to  the  Hotel  de  Mouchy,  is  found  there 
during  a  domiciliary  visit.  Madame  de 
Doudeauville  learns  the  fact ;  immediately 
she  calls  a  faithful  servant  and  begs  him 
to  accompany  her  to  the  revolutionary  tri- 
bunal. "  But  you  don't  think  of  doing  that, 
madame,"  answers  the  terrified  man.  He 
had  to  follow  her.  Being  arrived,  she  leaves 
Arnolet  at  the  door,  and  presents  herself, 
alone,  for  a  hearing  before  the  terrible  Fou- 
quier-Tainville.  He  pays  no  attention  to 
her  ;  standing  for  two  hours,  she  waits,  mo- 
tionless, until  compatriots  and  friends  have 
retired.  Then,  tete-a-tete  with  the  accuser- 
general,  she  says  to  him  :  — 

"  I  have  an  important  affair  to  commu- 
nicate to  you." 

"  My  only  business  is  to  punish  the  ene- 
mies of  the  republic.  What  have  you  to 
say  ?  This  is  the  place  for  making  denun- 
ciations." 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    113 

"  It  is  exactly  a  denunciation  which 
brings  me." 

"  Very  good  ;  speak  citizen." 

"  I  am  about  to  make  such  an  one  as 
you  are  not  accustomed  to  hear ;  it  is  my- 
self, and  myself  alone  whom  I  denounce." 

"  It  is  death  that  you  come  to  meet." 

"  I  know  ;  but  I  am  fulfilling  a  duty." 

He  looks  at  her  with  surprise,  and  lis- 
tens attentively.  She  relates  her  history 
in  all  its  details,  but  without  naming  any- 
body, and  ends  by  saying :  "  If  there  be 
anybody  to  prosecute  it  is  I."  The  fierce 
revolutionist  answers  with  stupefaction : 
"  Do  you  know  that  I  have  feeling,  too  ? 
Why  do  you  interest  yourself  for  this 
priest?" 

"  Because  he  is  unfortunate." 

"Ah,  yes,  I  understand,  and  I  have  a 
heart ;  I  have  saved  a  good  many  people." 

He  reassures  her,  promising  that  no- 
body shall  be  prosecuted  ;  and  seeing  her 
pale  and  trembling  with  fatigue,  he  offers 


1 1 4    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

her  his  arm  as  far  as  the  stairway.  This 
bare  arm,  which  seemed  stained  with  the 
blood  of  numerous  and  innocent  victims, 
prompted  a  repulsive  movement  from  the 
poor  woman,  easy  to  understand.  As  it 
was  offered  in  kindness,  she  could  not  de- 
cline, but  she  shuddered  always  at  the  rec- 
ollection of  the  support  accepted  for  those 
few  seconds. 

On  leaving  Fouquier-Tainville,  she  tells 
him  her  name  and  address,  so  that  he  might 
find  her  in  case  of  need.  He  assures  her 
again  that  the  case  is  ended.  The  Abbe" 
d'Etyola  is  released,  in  fact,  receives  the 
three  thousand  francs,  and  crosses  to  Eng- 
land. Shortly  after,  being  returned  to  An- 
necy,  with  the  title  of  bishop,  he  wrote  to 
his  liberator,  and,  to  testify  his  gratitude, 
sent  her  a  reliquary  containing  a  joint  of 
the  finger  of  Saint  Frangois  de  Sales,  and 
of  Saint  Chantal ;  he  knew  that  nothing 
could  be  more  acceptable. 

The  feeling  of  having  a  duty  to  discharge, 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 1 5 

or  a  service  to  render,  gave  intrepid  cour- 
age to  this  delicate  and  sensitive  woman. 
Opportunity  discovered  in  her  a  strength  of 
will,  a  firmness  of  character,  which,  always 
joined  to  the  greatest  modesty,  ended  by 
triumphing  over  every  difficulty. 

Her  estates  having  been  put  into  seques- 
tration, she  insists  upon  her  rights,  and 
energetically  defends  her  interests,  which 
are  the  interests  of  her  children  and  the 
poor  as  well.  Having  learned  that  they  in- 
tended to  sell  the  furniture  of  the  Chateau 
de  Montmirail,  under  the  pretext  that  the 
husband  being  an  emigrant,  half  the  com- 
mon property  should  be  confiscated  for 
the  good  of  the  state,  she  went  in  haste, 
proved  that  she  was  married  under  the 
system  of  separate  marriage  settlements, 
and  had  justice  done  her. 

Always  kind  to  her  own,  she  joyfully 
welcomed  the  Viscountess  of  Rochefou- 
cauld, who  hurried  back  to  her  after  a  year 
of  captivity.  She  often  visited  her  sister, 


1 1 6    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

Madame  de  Montesquieu,  who,  amid  so 
many  subjects  for  alarm,  had  the  sorrow  to 
lose  a  charming  little  girl,  so  pious  and 
charitable,  that  she  wanted  to  give  all  her 
clothes  to  cover  poor  children.  Rozamee 
was  very  fond  of  her  Aunt  de  Doudeau- 
ville.  A  relative,  in  taking  leave  of  her, 
having  said  one  day,  "What  would  you 
like  me  to  bring  back  to  you  from  Paris  ? " 
The  dear  child  had  answered  quickly, 
"  Bring  me  back  my  aunt." 

The  good  God  called  this  little  angel  to 
him  at  the  age  of  eight  years.  She  thought 
she  was  going  to  heaven,  but  did  not  wish 
to  cause  sorrow  to  her  mother ;  so,  feeling 
herself  about  to  die,  she  said  to  her  :  "  Go 
away,  mamma,  I  am  going  to  sleep."  The 
poor  mother  went  away,  and  the  child  never 
awoke.  Madame  de  Doudeauville,  at  the 
news  of  this  death,  went  from  Wissous  to 
Maupertuis  in  a  cart,  to  comfort  her  sister. 
In  wiping  away  her  tears,  she  little  thought 
that  in  a  few  years  she  was  about  to  weep 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 1 7 

over  the  most  loving  and  loved  of  daugh- 
ters. 

About  this  time,  happily,  she  confided  to 
the  Abbe"  Legris-Duval  the  education  of 
her  son  SostKenes,  who,  up  to  that  time, 
through  a  succession  of  circumstances  due 
to  the  misfortunes  of  the  times,  had  had 
only  indifferent  masters.  The  new  teacher, 
equally  distinguished  for  his  qualities  of 
mind  and  heart,  attached  his  young  pupil 
to  him,  and  became  the  devoted  friend  of 
the  entire  family,  which  he  did  not  again 
leave,  and  whose  sorrows  and  joys  he 
shared.  "  He  was,  until  his  death,"  says 
the  Duke  of  Doudeauville,  "the  delight 
and  the  edification  of  our  home." 

The  virtuous  duchess  did  not  limit  her 
zealous  efforts  to  the  family  circle,  and 
persons  of  the  household.  When  she  saw 
a  soul  which  ignorance  or  contact  with  im- 
piety had  plunged  in  gloom,  she  suffered, 
and  sought  every  opportunity  to  make  it 
know  and  taste  the  truth ;  it  was  rare  that 
she  was  resisted. 


1 1 S  i me  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

lame  Helvetuis,  after  the  death  of  a 
daughter,  fell  into  a  profound  languor  ;  her 
friends  tried  in  vain  to  attach  her  to  life, 
and  as  religion  was  a  closed  book  to  her, 

'viiew  not  where  to  rest  her  heart.  Her 
state  inspired  Madame  de  Trans  with  a 
warm  interest,  and  she  saw  her  often,  but 
not  daring  to  speak  the  language  of  faith 
herself,  she  sent  a  nun  from  time  to  time, 

ik  after  her  health.  She  hoped  that  the 
good  sister  would  find  an  opening  to  slip  in 
a  word  about  God  for  the  poor  sufferer,  but 
the  door  of  the  sick-room  was  always 
.ainst  her,  and  the  most  frightful 
solitude  continued  to  reign  in  the  heart 
which,  lacking  hope,  was  also  comfortless. 
This  double  calamity,  in  time  and  eternity, 
profoundly  touched  Madame  de  Doudeau- 
ville,  to  whom  Madame  de  Trans  confided 
her  vain  endeavours.  Immediately  she  pro- 
posed to  go  to  see  Madame  Helvetius  her- 
self, dressed  as  a  maid  ;  and  without  delay 
she  finds  the  house.  She  knocks,  gives  the 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 19 

name  of  her  whom  she  represents,  and  ex- 
presses her  wish  to  see  the  invalid.  They 
hesitate,  are  even  on  the  point  of  sending 
her  away,  but  the  half-open  door  has  per- 
mitted Madame  Helve*tius  to  follow  the 
little  debate  between  her  custodian  and  the 
messenger  of  her  friend.  The  sweet  voice 
and  the  discreet  language  wherein  a  great 
interest  is  manifest,  inspires  her  with  a  will- 
ingness to  see  the  visitor ;  she  asks  to 
have  her  shown  into  the  room,  bids  her  sit 
down,  inspects  her,  is  astonished,  and  rec- 
ognizes that  it  is  not  a  maid  with  whom 
she  has  to  do.  They  enter  into  conversa- 
tion ;  the  pious  duchess  approaches  the 
subject  of  her  grief  with  exquisite  delicacy. 
She  understands,  she  feels,  she  wishes 

to  alleviate The  sick  woman,  who 

knows  her  noble  visitor  by  reputation,  has 
soon  guessed  her  personality,  and  strongly 
moved,  she  cries:  "You  are  Madame  de 
Doudeauville  !  She  only  can  talk  like  this." 
Then  begins  intimacy ;  feeling  herself  un- 


1 20    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

derstood,  she  whom  sadness  overwhelms 
gives  free  vent  to  her  tears,  to  her  regrets  ; 
the  thought  of  God,  as  the  true  and  only 
comforter,  is  not  repelled ;  it  is  still  some- 
thing that  is  very  vague  to  a  poor  soul  so 
long  lost  in  error ;  but  this  first  interview 
leaves  a  sweet  impression  with  her,  and  a 
charm  until  then  unknown.  They  agree 
to  see  each  other  again,  and  little  by  little 
daylight  comes,  light  grows  stronger,  grace 
more  urgent.  Madame  de  Doudeauville 
speaks  of  confession,  and  herself  finds  an 
ecclesiastic  fitted  for  this  office.  The  in- 
teresting convert  has  such  confidence  in 
her  new  and  holy  friend,  that  she  offers  to 
make  an  avowal  of  her  faults  to  her,  before 
telling  the  priest.  Having  found  faith, 
peace,  and  hope,  Madame  Helvetius  con- 
tinues to  see  Madame  de  Doudeauville,  for 
whom  she  cherishes  a  gratitude  which  may 
be  called  eternal. 

And  now  the  horizon  grown  less  black 
in  France,  allowed  one  to  begin  to  breathe 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    121 

there.  In  the  beginning  of  1797,  the  ef- 
forts of  the  coalition  were  no  longer  to  be 
feared.  Bonaparte  restored  to  the  armies 
their  ancient  prestige,  and  already  the  for- 
eign powers  humbly  sued  for  peace. 

In  the  interim,  the  nation,  restored  to 
itself,  burned  with  desire  to  wipe  off  the 
stain  of  blood  with  which  its  brow  was 
stained  in  the  gloomy  days  of  '93.  This 
awakening  of  France  was  specially  appar- 
ent when  a  deputy,  on  the  very  day  when 
he  entered  the  Cinq-Cents,  solicited  liberty 
for  the  Catholic  religion,  and  the  abolition 
of  the  laws  directed  against  the  clergy. 
His  motion  was  listened  to  without  anger, 
warmly  supported  by  some,  and  on  the  24th 
of  August,  1 797,  the  Chamber  voted  for  the 
new  decree. 

These  were  solemn  proofs  of  a  better 
future.  A  few  took  advantage  of  this  to 
cross  the  frontier  and  see  their  relatives 
and  exiled  friends.  The  courageous  duch- 
ess left  Paris  no  later  than  the  3ist  of 


122    Madame  de  la  Rochefoiicauld. 

August,  in  the  same  year,  and  undertook  a 
long  journey,  of  which  the  account  is  given 
us  by  Mademoiselle  Ernestine,  then  fifteen 
years  old. 

"  There  are  circumstances  in  life,  my 
dear  cousin,  when  one  can  neither  talk  with 
those  he  loves,  nor  write  to  them  ;  but  I 
feel  sure  that  there  are  none  which  pre- 
vent his  thinking  of  them." 

"  If  misfortunes  are  softened  by  the  ten- 
der attentions  of  friendship,  joy  shared  by 
it  is  even  more  delicious.  Judge,  then,  how 
much  I  need  you  at  this  moment,  to  open 
my  heart  to  you.  A  witness  of  my  sorrows, 
why  can  you  not  be  of  my  happiness  ?  I 
wish,  at  least,  to  describe  to  you  all  that  I 
have  seen,  thought,  and  felt. 

"  We  left  Paris,  as  you  know,  on  Wednes- 
day, the  3  ist  of  August,  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  My  little  note  must  have 
showed  you  that  if  my  mind  was  not  quite 
awake,  at  least  my  sentiment  for  you  has 
never  slumbered. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    123 

"  I  will  not  attempt  to  picture  to  you  the 
emotions  that  agitated  my  heart  at  the  mo- 
ment of  departure.  I  was  about  to  see 
again  a  father  whom  I  had  left  when  a 
little  child,  but  for  whom  I  had  cherished 
the  tenderest  feelings.  You  know  that  his 
absence  became  more  painful  to  me  in  pro- 
portion as  my  age  made  me  better  under- 
stand and  feel  it. 

"  Our  guide  did  not  reach  the  first  post 
station  until  an  hour  and  a  half  after  us. 
Oh,  how  long  the  time  seemed  to  me. 
Different  thoughts  were  suggested  by  my 
imagination.  I  did  n't  know  what  to  at- 
tribute this  delay  to,  and  the  fear  of  seeing 
our  journey  fall  through,  passed  quickly 
from  my  head  to  my  heart.  I  saw  hap- 
piness elude  me  at  the  very  moment  I  was 
about  to  seize  it.  At  last  we  perceived  the 
carriage.  We  were  soon  consoled  for  our 
long  waiting,  for  whilst  we  were  lament- 
ing, they  had  been  mending  a  wheel,  which 
would  have  broken  in  a  short  time,  spilling 


124    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

us  out,  I  don't  know  where.  There  is  rea- 
son in  saying  that  a  small  evil  is  often  the 
cause  of  a  great  good.  The  next  morning 
at  nine  o'clock  we  were  at  Auxerre,  where 
we  were  to  have  slept  the  night  before.  To 
remedy  the  delay,  and  regain  that  wretched 
time,  which,  according  to  Sosthenes,  will 
always  get  lost,  it  was  agreed  that  we 
should  spend  the  next  night  on  the  road. 
We  stopped  for  supper,  however,  for  my 
mother  thought  that,  as  we  had  had  no 
dinner,  it  was  best  to  make  one  meal  a 
day. 

"  I  shall  not  be  able  to  mention  all  the 
places  through  which  we  passed,  but  must 
at  least  tell  you  how  we  had  to  cross  for- 
ests, whose  sombre  look  made  me  shiver, 
which  woke  me  up  a  little.  Arrived  at 
Auxonne  in  the  night,  they  would  not  give 
us  horses.  After  a  pretty  lively  dispute, 
we  had  recourse  to  the  municipal  officers, 
who  interfered  in  our  favor,  happily,  and 
we  set  out  at  last,  led  by  postilions  in  a 
very  bad  humor. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    125 

"  Hardly  do  we  leave  the  town  when  we 
perceive  three  men  following  our  carriage  ; 
then,  of  a  sudden,  they  leave  us,  and  run 
after  the  other,  already  at  some  distance. 
What  a  fright !  It  is  night ;  we  are  in  a 
very  solitary  spot,  and  as  fear  magnifies 
objects,  I  charitably  informed  my  mother 
that  we  were  then  in  the  midst  of  a  wood. 

There  was  n't  the  vestige  of  one For 

all  that,  I  was  n't  the  only  frightened  one. 
Judge  of  the  situation  of  your  cousin  who 
fears  robbers  in  the  heart  of  Paris,  in  a 
well-closed  house,  and  who  now  finds  her- 
self in  the  open  fields,  guided  by  dissatis- 
fied postilions,  and  in  a  carriage  where  are 
only  women.  Sosthenes  was  in  the  other, 
for  surely,  if  he  had  been  in  ours,  we 
should  not  have  been  allowed  to  be  fright- 
ened. 

"  After  all  we  had  only  the  apprehension 
without  the  evil.  At  Dole,  new  obstacles 
awaited  us ;  the  gates  were  closed,  and  we 
were  forced  to  r,esign  ourselves  to  passing 


126    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

the  night  at  an  inn  outside  of  the  town.  It 
was  one  o'clock.  Consequently,  we  found 
everybody  in  bed  and  asleep.  A  girl  came 
and  opened  the  door  to  us,  however,  with  a 
bad  enough  grace,  and  as  the  rooms  were 
taken,  she  lodged  us  in  a  pretty  narrow  pas- 
sage, where  four  dirty  beds  were  ranged  in 
a  row,  with  their  heads  against  the  wall, 
like  a  hospital,  and  we  were  very  glad  of 
this  fine  palace.  With  our  candle  on  the 
floor,  for  want  of  a  table,  and  our  two 
chairs,  for  four  people,  we  were  better  off 
than  in  the  street. 

"  Monsieur  Filietaz  took  Sosthenes  into 
his  room,  which  was  much  more  beautiful, 
but,  as  it  would  seem,  not  a  great  deal 
cleaner,  for  the  next  day,  when  he  came 
into  our  carriage,  my  brother  brought  us 
an  insect  which  I  do  not  care  to  name,  but 
of  the  most  unpleasant  kind. 

"  At  half  past  three  they  make  us  get  up 
in  order  to  start  at  five,  and  I  give  myself 
up  to  sorrow  for  losing,  unnecessarily,  this 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 2  7 

time  from  sleep.  We  soon  reach  Poligny, 
—  the  first  town  of  the  Jura.  I  cannot 
describe  to  you  the  impression  made  upon 
me  by  this  grand  country,  with  its  majestic 
mountains.  Now  there  are  only  jagged 
rocks,  frightful  precipices,  impetuous  tor- 
rents, gigantic  pines  which  seem  to  reach 
the  sky  ;  then,  without  transition,  are  prai- 
ries covered  with  flocks,  with  huts,  and 
even  cultivated  fields. 

"  Although  Morez  is  not  the  extreme 
frontier,  it  is  the  place  where  the  Custom- 
house does  its  office.  So  we  had  to  show 
everything  that  we  had.  When  they  had 
examined  and  seen  all,  they  put  leaden 
seals  upon  our  parcels  ;  with  this  precau- 
tion, and  the  payment  of  a  few  crowns, 
they  allowed  us  to  pass  on  quietly.  Hardly 
had  we  crossed  the  French  boundary  when 
Monsieur  Filietaz  got  down  from  his  car- 
riage, and  came  to  tell  us  with  the  greatest 
feeling,  that  we  were  in  Switzerland.  I 
could  not  contain  myself  for  joy,  and  I 


128    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

thought  I  saw  on  all  the  faces  of  the  good 
Swiss  the  impress  of  my  happiness.  Soon 
we  perceived  Nyon.  We  had  a  small  hope 
of  finding  my  father  there.  We  stopped 
at  the  inn,  where  Madame  Filietaz  awaited 
her  husband ;  but  even  before  embracing 
her,  he  came  to  tell  us  that  the  person 
whom  we  expected  was  not  there.  And 
much  more  attentive  to  our  interests  than  to 
his  own,  he  found  horses  which  could  take 
us  on  immediately  to  Lausanne.  Unhap- 
pily, a  fine  gentleman,  named  Prevost,  ap- 
peared, who,  while  saying  how  sensitive  he 
was,  stated  in  a  way  that  was  not  at  all 
so,  that  we  ought  n't  to  dream  of  starting 
that  day,  because  we  should  n't  arrive  until 
midnight,  and  should  have  to  wake  up  my 
father.  My  mother  made  up  her  mind  to 
this  inconvenience  ;  but  Monsieur  PreVost 
pretended  that  our  nocturnal  arrival  would 
be  the  town  talk,  which  would  be  very 
compromising.  This  reason  decided  every- 
thing, and  it  was  arranged  that  we  should 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    129 

not  leave  until  the  next  day,  at  daybreak. 
I  was  very  angry  with  this  sensitive  Mon- 
sieur PreVost,  who  retarded  our  happiness 
so  pitilessly.  Finally,  the  longed-for  morn- 
ing came,  and  after  being  on  the  road  for 
a  few  leagues,  we  perceived  Lausanne  ;  ar- 
rived at  the  gates,  we  left  the  carriage,  and 
Monsieur  Prevost  made  us  cross  through  a 
part  of  the  town  without  saying  whether 
we  were  getting  any  nearer.  He  made  us 
climb  a  very  dark  stairway  up  to  the  fourth 
story,  preserving  a  profound  silence  all  the 
time.  Then  he  opened  a  little  door,  disap- 
peared, and  I  found  myself  in  my  father's 
arms. 

"Must  I  try  to  tell  you  what  I  felt? 
No  ;  your  heart  is  too  delicate  not  to  guess. 
And,  besides,  to  describe  such  sentiments 
would  be  to  weaken  them." 

The  enjoyment  was,  indeed,  very  sweet, 

on  both  sides.     "  The  happiness  which  this 

reunion  gave  me,"  says  Monsieur  de  Dou- 

deauville,  "  was  beyond  all  description.  We 

9 


1 30    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

had  been  separated  for  five  years,  and  I 
had  almost  despaired  of  our  meeting. 

"  I  passed  my  days  luxuriating  in  the 
marvellous  change  of  my  situation,  in  lis- 
tening to  the  recital  of  the  sufferings  and 
the  alarms  of  my  dear  travellers,  in  hearing 
the  details  of  all  that  wisdom,  courage,  and 
tenderness  had  inspired  a  good  mother  to 
do  for  the  welfare  of  our  children. 

"  I  was  never  tired  of  hearing  them  re- 
peat what  they  had  already  told  me,  and 
even  what  I  knew  before  their  arrival ;  my 
thoughts  had  been  so  constantly  turned 
towards  France  and  my  absent  family. 
And  now  I  had  eyes,  ears,  and  heart,  only 
to  seize,  understand,  and  make  my  own,  so 
to  speak,  that  past  in  which  I  had  had  no 
part." 

At  the  end  of  two  months  they  were 
obliged  to  part  again,  for  the  presence  of 
Madame  de  Doudeauville  was  indispensa- 
ble to  the  preservation  of  her  numerous  es- 
tates, and  her  husband  could  not  put  his 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 3 1 

foot  on  French  soil  without  danger.  They 
said  their  sad  good-byes.  But  in  spite  of 
all  his  resolutions  to  wait  for  a  signal,  the 
poor  emigrant  could  not  hold  out  for  long, 
and  soon,  aided  by  the  passport  of  a  Swiss 
merchant,  braving  a  thousand  dangers, 
thanks  to  skilful  stratagems  and  the  now 
often  used  currency  of  jiaring,  he  arrives 
at  Orleans,  where  he  reads  aloud  before  a 
large  audience  in  a  book-shop,  this  article 
in  a  paper  :  "  The  sentence  of  death  is 
pronounced  anew  against  every  emigrant, 
and  if  he  be  recognized,  he  shall  be  shot  in 
twenty-four  hours'  time." 

More  alarmed  than  content,  the  good 
duchess  hastens  to  greet  her  husband, 
whose  extreme  tranquillity  reassures  her  at 
first.  But  two  days  after,  hearing  that  he 
has  been  denounced  to  the  police,  she  begs 

and  conjures  him  to  depart It  is 

impossible  to  resist  her  entreaty.  She 
gives  the  poor  traveller  a  book  of  Saint 
Frangois  de  Sales,  to  console  him  on  the 


132    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

way.  Wearied  with  so  great  emotion,  she 
dreams  of  making  a  retreat,  and  consecrates 
ten  days  to  repose,  under  the  eye  of  the 
Lord.  That  she  may  be  the  quieter,  she 
goes  every  morning  to  the  Convent  of  the 
Filles-Dieu,  near  the  Saint-Denis  gate,  and 
does  not  come  back  to  her  little  family 
until  the  evening. .  These  hours  of  solitude 
recall  to  her  those  which  were  associated 
with  her  first  communion ;  a  mingling  of 
holy  desires,  of  delicious  transports,  of  pro- 
phetic warnings,  and  of  pious  resignation. 
Many  .years  have  passed  since,  and  now,  in 
the  strength  of  age,  in  presence  not  of  a 
simple  presentiment,  but  with  the  full  un- 
derstanding of  sacrifice,  this  generous  soul 
renews  the  giving  of  her  entire  self,  asking 
of  God  in  return,  that  His  reign  should 
come,  that  He  should  be  known,  loved,  and 
glorified.  As  if  to  show  that  her  offering 
is  accepted,  the  Holy  Spirit  inspires  the 
superior  of  the  convent  to  give  her  as  a 
souvenir  of  the  retreat,  a  precious  relic  of 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    133 

the  true   cross  and  of  the  holy  crown  of 
thorns. 

A  serious  thought  then  occupied  Mad- 
ame de  Doudeauville ;  she  began  to  con- 
sider about  determining  the  future  of  her 
daughter,  who  had  just  entered  her  seven- 
teenth year.  The  uncertainty  of  events 
doubtless  contributed  to  her  making  this 
hasty  resolution  ;  not  being  able  to  fore- 
see how  much  longer  the  head  of  the 
family  would  be  kept  away,  she  looked 
about  for  a  protector  outside  of  the  family 
for  the  beloved  daughter  from  whom  she 
would  fain  never  have  been  separated.  But 
before  trusting  her  to  other  hands,  she 
drew  out  for  her  some  written  counsels, 
where  we  see  with  the  mother's  tenderness, 
the  ardent  and  enlightened  faith  of  the 
strong  Christian.  These  counsels  seem  to 
us  so  wise  that  we  do  not  fear  to  reproduce 
them  entire  ;  first,  because  they  may  serve 
for  example  and  instruction,  but  also  be- 
cause they  will  make  known  her  who  die- 


1 34    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

tated  them  better  than  anything  which  we 
could  say.  She  advises  nothing  that  she 
has  not  practised  herself  in  a  much  higher 
degree.  The  reflections  which  she  incul- 
cates in  her  daughter  were  the  habitual 
nourishment  of  her  soul.  The  sentiments 
with  which  she  desires  to  animate  her  filled 
her  own  heart  and  directed  her  every  ac- 
tion. It  is  thus  that  she  loved  God  and 
her  neighbor,  with  this  difference,  that  she 
gives  of  her  plenitude  what  a  prudent 
discretion  induces  her  to  impose  upon 
others,  with  reserve  ;  knowing  no  time,  no 
repose  in  the  exercise  of  virtue,  she  went 
on  always  growing  in  humility  and  charity. 
These  counsels  are  addressed  to  an  intel- 
ligent young  girl,  spirited,  generous,  zeal- 
ous, admirably  gifted  for  the  family  and  too 
well  for  the  world,  perfectly  brought  up,  but 
whose  accomplishments,  —  I  had  almost 
said  whose  qualities,  —  are  a  danger,  as  the 
fears  expressed  by  her  mother  indicate  :  so 
true  is  it  that  it  is  not  enough  that  God 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    135 

and  those  who  represent  Him  should  work 
directly  for  our  sanctification  :  it  is  a  per- 
sonal work  ;  it  must  be  that  it  cost  us 
something ;  and  the  more  the  Lord  has 
given,  the  more  will  He  ask. 


CHAPTER  V. 

COUNSELS   TO    HER   DAUGHTER. 

"  You  will  think  it  singular,  my  dear  Er- 
nestine, that,  having  you  always  under  my 
eye,  I  should  still  think  it  necessary  to 
write  to  you.  But  I  know  that  you  will 
have  as  great  pleasure  in  receiving  marks 
of  my  engrossing  interest  in  you,  as  I  have 
desire  to  multiply  them.  My  advice,  my 
counsels,  which  your  heart  always  appreci- 
ates, even  when  they  oppose  its  tastes  and 
inclinations,  will  have,  I  am  sure,  yet  more 
value  if  they  are  written.  There  are  some, 
besides,  which  I  have  reserved  for  a  more 
advanced  age,  and  the  new  estate  which 
you  are  about  to  enter  induces  me  to  com- 
municate them  to  you. 

"  I  am  about  to  open  my  heart  to  you, 
then,  to  let  you  see  the  hopes  which  are 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    137 

given  me  by  all  that  God  has  done  in  you, 
the  virtues  which  I  have  a  right  to  expect 
from  the  germs  which  rejoiced  me  in  your 
infancy,  and  also  from  the  qualities  which 
a  great  elevation  of  sentiment,  joined  to 
happy  gifts  of  intelligence,  should  cultivate 
to  a  high  degree  in  you.  I  shall  not  con- 
ceal from  you  my  apprehensions,  while  pre- 
ferring that  you  should  not  suspect  their 
full  extent ;  for  you  are  not  yet  a  mother  ; 
you  would  not  be  able  to  understand  all 
the  happiness  and  pain,  the  delights  and 
anxieties  that  this  feeling  brings. 

"  I  will  also  make  my  confession  to  you  : 
it  is  necessary  to  my  repose.  I  am  far  from 
attributing  to  you,  my  child,  the  faults  that 
I  find  in  you ;  it  is  the  small  experience  I 
had  when  I  began  your  education  ;  it  is  my 
own  shortcomings  that  I  accuse,  —  above 
all  my  small  virtue  which  held  back  God's 
blessings  from  you.  With  this  conviction, 
judge  how  important  I  feel  it  to  fortify  you 
against  the'  dangers  which  alarm  me,  and 


138    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

pardon  me  if  I  exaggerate  a  little.  See 
only  the  tender  sentiment  of  a  Christian 
mother,  who  trembles  at  the  moment  of 
separation  from  a  cherished  daughter.  Im- 
agine a  merchant,  trusting  to  the  sea  his 
treasure,  the  fruit  of  his  watchings,  of  his 
toils,  his  only  hope.  He  beholds  at  the 
same  time  the  haven  where  he  would  wish 
to  see  it  enter,  and  the  innumerable  perils 
which  may  prevent.  He  hears  on  all  sides 
the  noise  of  the  waves  that  may  engulf  it ; 
picture  to  yourself  his  agitation,  his  tor- 
ture, and  you  will  have  an  imperfect  idea 
of  the  anguish  and  perplexities  of  your 
mother.  One  only  thought  has  power  to 
calm  her,  and  therefore,  I  return  to  it  inces- 
santly ;  it  is  that  of  the  religious  principles 
which  I  have  always  known  to  be  in  you, 
and  the  liveliness  of  your  faith.  I  will  not 
say  your  piety,  for  I  do  not  think  that  that 
name  should  be  given  to  your  actual  way 
of  life  ;  but  if  you  persevere,  this  precious 
gift  will  be  granted  to  you  for  a  recom- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 39 

pense,  and  will  make  the  road  easy  where 
you  are  already  walking. 

"  My  one  desire  is,  that  you  should  ac- 
custom yourself  to  sound  practice,  without 
which  your  faith  would  soon  grow  weak. 
The  world  and  its  friends  would  exercise 
their  empire  over  you  ;  their  maxims  would 
not  seem  so  strange  to  you  ;  little  by  little 
they  might  please  and  end  by  seducing 
you.  Regard  for  public  opinion,  which  has 
already  made  some  impression  upon  you, 
would  hasten  your  overthrow.  ....  I 
pause,  my  child,  and  can  bear  no  longer 
the  sight  of  such  a  misfortune ;  the  way 
to  avoid  it  is  to  animate  your  faith  by  the 
study  of  our  holy  religion.  Apply  yourself 
to  understand  what  she  asks  of  you,  and 
what  she  promises  to  you.  I  feel  the  more 
earnestness,  my  child,  in  encouraging  you 
to  enter  upon  this  research,  because  it  will 
occupy  you  with  the  only  method  of  find- 
ing lasting  happiness,  and  of  obtaining  it 
for  all  who  will  be  dependent  upon  you. 


140    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

Without  her  heavenly  succour,  you  may,  it 
is  very  true,  have  moments  of  enjoyment 
and  of  pleasure,  and  you  may  cause  others 
to  feel  them,  but  the  difference  !  And  how 
dearly  you  would  pay  for  these  short  sea- 
sons of  illusion  !  Your  enjoyments  would 
never  be  without  anxiety,  nor  your  pleas- 
ures without  remorse.  The  happiness  of 
which  I  speak,  and  which  religion  offers 
to  you,  since  it  has  its  source  in  purity  of 
heart,  and  in  the  peace  of  soul  which  is 
the  happy  result,  can  never  be  troubled  by 
events  nor  circumstances.  It  will  spread 
a  charm  over  all  your  life.  The  world  may 
be  overthrown,  empires  destroyed,  men 
may  tear  each  other  asunder,  but  there  is 
no  human  power  which  can  take  from  us 
this  precious  gift,  and  having  it  we  can 
bear  all.  It  is  not  only  the  impression  of 
a  sentiment  which  makes  me  use  this  lan- 
guage to  you,  it  is  the  fruit  of  my  experi- 
ence. May  I  be  able  to  communicate  to 
your  soul  the  convictions  which  I  have 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    141 

drawn  from  it.  Whoever  has  gone  through 
the  French  revolution  and  survived  it,  can 
no  longer  doubt  the  nothingness  of  the 
things  of  this  earth.  I  have  seen  honours, 
titles  vanish  away,  and  with  them  those 
who  wore  them ;  the  greatest  and  best 
secured  fortunes  have  been  annihilated ; 
great  names  trailed  in  the  mud  ;  brilliant 
reputations  tarnished ;  the  most  useful  in- 
stitutions have  come  to  naught.  At  last 
the  throne  and  the  altar  were  thrown  down  ; 
this  fine  dream  with  which  I  had  seen  men 
intoxicated,  to  which  they  had  sacrificed 
their  health,  their  repose,  their  conscience  ; 
eight  years  later  it  had  no  existence. 

"  In  this  total  overthrow  has  not  my  soul 
had  reason  to  cry  aloud  more  than  once, 
'  Thou  alone  art  great,  O  my  God.  Thou 
only  art  stable.  Thou  alone  meritest  that 
we  should  love  Thee  above  all.  Thou  only 
canst  promise  and  give  us  a  lasting  hap- 
piness. All  human  supports  on  which  I 
stayed  myself  have  crumbled  away.  Thou 


142    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

only  remainest  to  me ;  but  with  this  firm 
prop  I  can  endure  all.' 

"  Give,  then,  to  God,  and  undividedly,  the 
first  years  at  your  disposal.  Thanks  be  to 
heaven,  your  infancy  was  consecrated  to 
Him.  Consecrate  to  Him  also  your  youth, 
and  do  not  question  the  liberality  with 
which  this  God  of  goodness  will  reward 
your  sacrifices  and  encourage  your  first 
steps.  Once  in  the  way  where  He  would 
have  you,  He  will  take  care  Himself  to 
level  the  obstructions  which  you  may  find 
there,  and  will  make  easy  for  you  the  sec- 
ond part  of  the  precept,  the  love  of  your 
neighbour,  for  then  you  will  everywhere 
love  and  respect  His  work,  but  how  espe- 
cially in  the  unfortunate,  the  needy,  in  that 
portion  of  humanity  which  is  stripped  of  all 
temporal  advantages  and  under  which  He 
presents  Himself  to  you,  while  He  waits 
to  compensate  it  liberally  one  day  for  the 
neglect  of  men.  What  will  you  not  ren- 
der to  the  Lord  for  that  He  has  put  into 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    143 

your  hands  a  means  so  simple  and  so  pre- 
cious of  expiating  the  faults  inseparable 
from  the  enjoyment  of  a  large  fortune,  and 
of  getting  your  pardon  while  all  the  time 
yielding  to  the  gentle  inclination  of  your 
heart.  In  your  superiors  you  will  see  the 
authority  of  God,  and  the  submission,  the 
consideration  which  you  owe  them,  will 
become  easy  to  you. 

"With  your  inferiors  your  manner  of 
command  will  not  be  severe ;  your  rule 
will  be  one  of  kindness.  Impartiality  with 
all  carefulness  being  your  law,  prejudice 
will  not  influence  your  decisions  ;  self-in- 
terest will  have  no  access  to  you.  You 
will  rather  seek  him  who  has  less  desire  to 
make  himself  known,  and  all  will  bless  your 
justice  and  your  indulgence,  and  will  give 
honour  to  God  for  whom  you  act. 

"  In  all  men  you  will  see  His  image  ;  they 
will  find  you  unceasingly  ready  to  be  of 
use  to  them.  Feeling  no  rivalry  with  your 
equals,  —  you  will  have  pleasure  in  their 


144    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

advantage ;  their  successes  will  become 
your  own.  Considering  all  as  members  of 
one  and  the  same  family,  destined  to  run 
the  same  course,  looking  to  the  same  end, 
—  the  glory  of  the  Chief,  and  the  happiness 
of  all,  will  be  ever  the  motives  that  incite 
you.  In  this  way,  how  will  you  not  cause 
our  holy  religion  to  be  cherished.  And 
who  knows  if  God,  to  encourage  your 
weak  efforts  and  to  reward  your  sacrifices, 
will  not  make  use  of  you  to  arrest  some 
souls  on  the  point  of  abandoning  Him,  or, 
to  bring  back  others  already  fallen  away. 
Ah,  my  child,  if  He  grant  you  this  favour, 
your  entire  life  will  not  suffice  to  thank 
Him.  How  admirable  is  He  when  He 
uses  such  frail  instruments  to  work  His 
mercies,  and  what  happiness  for  him  whom 
He  deigns  to  employ !  .  .  .  .  Keep  your 
heart  thus  ready  to  do  generously  whatever 
He  may  ask  of  you.  But  let  us  see  now 
what  are  the  general  and  particular  obsta- 
cles which  you  will  have  to  combat. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    145 

"  I  do  not  pretend  that  religion  does  not 
demand  sacrifices  ;  I  know,  and  I  have  ex- 
perienced only  too  well,  that  we  are  all  born 
with  a  proneness  to  evil,  which  it  is  very 
difficult  to  overcome,  and  that  before  reach- 
ing that  calm,  that  peace  of  which  I  have 
spoken  to  you,  and  which  may  be  looked 
upon  as  a  foretaste  of  heaven,  one  must 
have  won  many  victories  over  himself.  But 
I  ask  you,  even  if  you  were  without  relig- 
ion, would  you  not  experience  the  desire  to 
rule  the  passions  which  might  have  power 
to  master  you  ?  Would  you  not  think,  you 
who  are  constantly  praising  this  human 
courage,  whose  consequences  are  some- 
times so  disastrous ;  that  there  is  grandeur 
of  soul,  nobleness,  in  making  one's  self 
master  of  all  his  movements,  or  at  least  in 
being  able  always  to  curb  their  effects  ?  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  greatest  conqueror  is 
nothing,  when  compared  with  the  simple 
and  virtuous  man,  whose  whole  study  has 
been  to  know  himself,  and  his  glory,  to  rule 


10 


146    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

himself ;  who,  by  the  happy  habit  of  re- 
pressing himself,  has  come  to  have  nothing 
ill-regulated  ;  who,  always  with  calmness, 
judges  healthily  of  things,  and  chooses  the 
part  which  he  deems  the  better,  without  be- 
ing blinded  by  the  impetuosity  of  his  pas- 
sions. 

"The  philosophers  strove  to  make  it 
thought  that  they  had  reached  this  desir- 
able condition.  Religion  gives  me  the 
means  of  arriving  there  at  the  same  time 
that  she  proves  to  me  the  necessity  of  so 
doing  ;  she  does  more ;  she  knows  how  to 
make  me  love  sacrifice,  by  showing  it  to 
me  on  the  road  to  heaven.  Ah  !  how  much 
more  does  a  short  meditation  on  the  life 
and  passion  of  our  Lord  accomplish,  than 
all  the  arguments  of  cold  reason,  which  tell 
us,  indeed,  what  is  to  be  done,  but  do  not 
give  us  the  strength  to  attain  to  it.  It  is 
at  the  foot  of  your  crucifix,  my  child,  that 
you  will  learn  how  to  taste  of  real  good ; 
there  you  will  appreciate  that  which  the 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    147 

world  has  to  offer,  and  you  will  have  no 
further  pain  in  detaching  yourself  from  it. 
These  illusions  vanish,  and  when  the  heart 
has  once  known  truth,  there  is  no  other  at- 
traction for  it.  The  cross  will  make  you 
feel  the  heaviness  of  the  iron  chains  which 
the  world  imposes,  and  the  lightness  of  the 
gospel  yoke.  May  the  Lord  give  you  grace 
to  wear  it  always,  and  spare  you  the  ago- 
nizing regret  of  having  wavered  between 
the  world  and  Him.  For  I  should  never 
be  able  to  bear  the  thought  that  you  could 
fail  to  know  Him,  and  thus  make  me  sorry 
that  I  had  given  you  birth.  Know  your 
Master,  and  you  will  have  but  one  fear,  — 
that  of  not  doing  enough  for  Him.  After 
your  falls,  seek  His  goodness  with  the  same 
confidence,  which,  in  your  early  years, 
made  you  come  and  confess  the  faults  of 
which  I  was  sometimes  ignorant ;  through 
your  ingenuousness,  you  found  in  my  ten- 
derness the  consolation  and  the  peace  which 
you  had  lost.  With  what  joy  I  pressed 


148    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

you  then  to  my  heart;  often  your  tears 
made  my  own  to  flow,  and  I  had  enough  to 
do  in  keeping  them  back.  Well,  my  child, 
may  this  love,  this  indulgence,  give  you  a 
feeble  idea  of  the  mercy,  the  tenderness  of 
God's  heart.  If  you  have  found  these  qual- 
ities in  His  weak,  imperfect  creature,  how 
much  more  may  you  expect  of  Him  from 
whom  they  proceed,  who  was  the  source 
of  them,  and  the  limits  of  whose  love  for 
you  are  only  in  His  immensity.  Remember 
again,  that  my  cares,  my  tenderness  for  you 
seemed  to  increase  in  proportion  to  your 
needs,  or  your  infirmities  ;  and  believe  that 
your  Heavenly  Father  experiences  the  same 
thing,  but  in  the  measure  of  a  God.  He 
is,  then,  a  kind  Physician  who  knows  your 
wounds,  who  sounds  the  depth  of  them, 
who  measures  their  extent,  and  sees  their 
danger.  He  holds  in  His  hand  the  reme- 
dies for  your  healing,  and  burns  with  the 
desire  to  apply  them.  One  single  turning 
only  towards  Him  suffices,  that  His  justice 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 49 

permit  Him  to  satisfy  His  mercy,  and  then 
He  pours  that  salutary  balm  which  softens 
whatever  of  bitter  the  remedies  may  have 
held,  and  hastens  their  good  result. 

"  I  confess,  my  child,  that  of  all  the  sen- 
timents I  have  experienced,  that  of  mater- 
nity, a  sentiment  which  takes  away  from 
none  other,  and  yet  surpasses  all,  has  ever 
seemed  to  me  most  fitly  to  represent 
the  love  of  God  for  His  creatures.  I  con- 
strain myself  at  times  to  think  of  Him  as 
my  judge,  but  I  always  find  my  Father 
again  !  And  however  faithless  I  have  been, 
however  unworthy  of  being  in  the  number 
of  His  children,  I  leave  all  to  His  love, 
and  repeat  to  Him  unceasingly  :  '  It  is  in 
Thee,  Lord,  and  in  Thee  alone,  that  I  have 
put  my  trust ;  I  cannot  be  confounded ;  I 
have  Thy  word  of  promise.' 

"  May  the  heart  of  my  dear  child,  then, 
filled  with  firm  hope,  attach  itself  to  Him 
who  alone  can  bring  this  hope  to  pass. 
This  is  a  happiness  of  which  it  behooves 


150   Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

not  my  ignorance,  my  weakness  to  speak, 
but  of  which  a  sensitive  soul,  detached 
from  worldly  interests,  might  have,  I  think, 
a  faint  idea.  To  love,  and  to  love  without 
limit,  to  love  through  all  eternity  the  Object 
the  most  lovely,  the  most  adorable,  the 
source  of  every  good,  to  have  no  longer 
cause  to  fear  occasions  of  offending  Him  ; 
to  see  as  God  sees,  to  feel  as  He  does,  to 
be  admitted  to  His  divine  intercourse,  — 
what  blessed  happiness ! 

"  Oh,  my  dear  child  ;  if  by  my  example, 
my  faults,  perhaps  by  my  too  great  weak- 
ness towards  you,  I  have  given  you  any 
impression  of  religion  other  than  the  true 
one,  it  is  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  Christ  that 
I  ask  your  pardon  for  it ;  it  is  there  that  I 
pray  Him  that  the  punishments  which  my 
faults  merit,  may  not  fall  on  you.  At  His 
feet,  too,  I  can  attest  that  I  have  never 
made  other  wishes  for  you,  than  those 
which  aimed  at  making  you  virtuous,  and 
assuring  to  you  the  possession  of  this  hap- 
piness. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    151 

"I  call  to  my  mind,  my  child,  that, 
scarcely  were  you  born,  when  I  offered  you 
to  God  ;  and  in  the  moment  when  I  felt 
with  transport  the  joy  of  being  a  mother, 
when  my  sufferings  seemed  to  me  too  sweet 
since  you  were  the  price  of  them,  when  I 
would  have  found  it  just  to  pay  with  my  life 
the  happiness  of  giving  birth  to  you,  —  ah, 
well,  in  that  same  moment  I  asked  my  God 
not  to  preserve  you,  except  you  were  to  love 
Him  eternally.  He  received  my  sacrifice, 
and  He  has  left  you  in  existence  ;  is  it  not 
allowed  me  to  hope  that  my  prayer  will  be 
accomplished  in  all  its  greatness  ? 

"I  conjure  Thee,  O  God  of  goodness, 
have  no  regard  to  the  weakness  of  her  who 
prays  to  Thee,  but  consider  that  she  in- 
tercedes for  a  child  whom  Thou  hast  given 
her  in  Thy  mercy  ;  that  this  child  is  Thine, 
that  I  have  never  forgotten  Thy  right  to 
her  ;  I  have  even  feared  that  I  might  claim 
her  as  my  own  too  much.  Thou  knowest 
that  I  never  asked  that  she  should  have 


152    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

worldly  goods  nor  any  like  thing  ;  but  only 
this  celestial  dew  whose  preciousness  I 
knew.  Pour  it  upon  her  abundantly,  my 
God.  Thou  only  canst  know  how  dear  she 

is  to  me Well,  I  accept  whatever 

Thou  hast  in  store  for  her,  so  that  she  be 
always  faithful  to  Thee,  and  that  after 
transmitting  to  her  children  the  precious 
deposit  of  the  faith  in  all  its  integrity,  she 
may  then  love  Thee  and  praise  Thee  for- 
ever." 

These  lines  were  written  some  months 
before  the  marriage.  As  the  decisive  hour 
approached,  the  wise  mother  specifies 
clearly  what  her  heart  had  only  sketched 
out. 

"  PARIS,  May  15tf,  1798. 

"  You  ask  me,  my  dear  Ernestine,  to  give 
you  a  rule  of  conduct,  an  outline  of  the 
manner  in  which  it  will  be  well  for  you  to 
mark  out  your  time  and  dispose  of  it.  I  be- 
gan by  refusing  you,  convinced  of  my  own 
incompetence,  and  thinking  it  better  that 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    153 

you  should  make  this  rule  of  life  for  your- 
self. Howbeit,  touched  by  your  confidence, 
I  am  about  to  answer  you,  having  first 
asked  for  light  from  the  Holy  Spirit.  This 
practice  of  regulating  the  employment  of 
time,  has  been  consecrated  by  the  masters 
of  the  spiritual  life ;  the  Fenelons,  the 
Saint  Francois  de  Sales,  have  always  ad- 
vised it  for  souls  who  would  live  Chris- 
tianly,  avoid  offending  God,  and  make  some 
progress  in  virtue.  I  doubt  not  that  great 
graces  are  connected  with  it.  At  the  time 
of  my  marriage,  although  still  very  young, 
I  felt  this  necessity,  and  reaped  much  fruit 
from  the  rules  planned  by  my  fourteen 
year's  old  head,  and  modified  later  by  a 
holy  director.  My  knowledge  of  your  char- 
acter makes  me  add,  my  dear  child,  that 
this  practice  is  indispensable  to  you. 

"  The  little  aptitude  you  have  for  all  that 
comes  under  the  head  of  pious  practices, 
your  fear  of  everything  that  brings  you 
under  subjection,  the  kind  of  prejudice  you 


154    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

have  adopted,  without  much  knowing  why, 
against  what  you  call  little  observances,  — 
all  this  make  it  necessary  for  you  to  pre- 
scribe certain  habits  for  yourself,  with  the 
resolution  of  being  faithful  to  them.  It  is 
precisely  because  you  dread  everything 
that  is  small,  that  you  must  look  at  your 
motives  supernaturally,  and  regard  it  as  be- 
neath you  to  be  guided  only  by  your  hu- 
mour or  caprice. 

"The  rule  of  life,  when  it  has  been  en- 
tered upon,  will  realize  this  aim,  and  will 
procure  you  the  advantages  of  which  I 
speak.  All  your  actions  will  have  the 
stamp  of  obedience,  and  that  is  the  surest 
way  of  arriving,  even  when  you  don't  sus- 
pect it,  at  the  highest  perfection.  But  I 
hasten  to  come  to  the  details  of  the  obliga- 
tions which  this  rule  will  impose  upon  you, 
for  I  see  already  your  young  courage  is 
alarmed,  and  though  your  reason  has  asked 
this  of  me,  yet  your  disposition  fears  it, 
tells  you  that  it  is  good  only  for  religious, 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    155 

and  makes  you  dread  the  severity.  It  is 
important,  then,  to  prove  to  you  that  Relig- 
ion proportions  herself  to  the  weakness  of 
our  age,  our  health,  even  of  our  character ; 
that  she  asks  of  us  only  what  is  reasonable, 
and  does  but  consecrate  our  duties. 

"EMPLOYMENT  OF  THE  DAY. 

"  1st.  You  will  stay  eight  hours  in  your 
bed :  at  your  age  this  time  for  repose  is 
necessary.  The  hour,  then,  when  you  go 
to  bed,  will  determine,  your  hour  for  getting 
up  the  next  day  ;  but,  except  in  case  of 
unusual  indisposition,  or  extraordinary  fa- 
tigue, you  will  be  exact  in  limiting  yourself 
to  the  eight  hours. 

"  2d.  Your  first  thought  in  waking  will 
be  for  God  ;  you  will  offer  your  actions  to 
Him,  and  invoke  your  good  angel. 

"  3d.  As  soon  as  you  are  dressed,  you  will 
say  your  prayer  in  the  "  Journee  du  Chre- 
tien," or  even  a  shorter  one,  if  you  know 
it ;  but  keep  to  the  one  which  you  adopt. 


156    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"4th.  You  will  read  a  chapter  in  the 
*  Imitation/  after  which  you  will  meditate 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour ;  the  two  first 
books  will  suit  you  best  for  the  present. 

"  5th.  You  will  hear  mass  every  day. 

"  6th.  You  will  devote  from  an  hour  to 
an  hour  and  a  half  to  your  breakfast,  as  well 
as  to  the  duty  you  owe  your  grandparents. 

"  /th.  You  will  employ  two  hours  in  the 
morning,  either  in  reading  history,  travels, 
or  the  like,  or  with  masters-  in  accomplish- 
ments ;  if  you  wish  to  profit  by  your  read- 
ings, you  will  make  extracts. 

"  8th.  You  will  reserve  a  half  hour  for  re- 
ligious reading,  and  before  beginning  it,you 
will  ask  God  for  grace  to  get  benefit  from  it. 

"  Qth.  You  will  make  your  toilet  before 
dinner,  striving  to  spend  no  more  time  over 
it  than  is  necessary.  You  might  make  use 
of  these  moments  to  learn  some  well-se- 
lected bits  of  poetry ;  you  would  culti- 
vate your  memory,  you  would  ornament 
your  mind  and  prevent  being  too  much 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.  157 

taken  up  with  fashion,  so  dangerous  a 
thing  for  the  young. 

"  loth.  I  should  like  you  to  take  up  the 
habit  of  reflecting,  five  minutes  only,  before 
dinner,  upon  the  way  in  which  you  have 
spent  your  morning  and  observed  your  rule. 

"  nth.  During  the  meal,  while  being  as 
pleasant  as  possible  out  of  consideration 
for  your  relatives,  try  to  raise  your  heart  to 
God  from  time  to  time.  It  would  be  well 
that  the  meal  should  not  go  over  without 
some  little  practice  of  self-denial.  For 
the  present,  confine  yourself  to  repressing 
your  too  numerous  fancies.  Set  about  it 
gradually  as  yet,  but  you  will  find  your 
health  even  will  be  the  better  for  it. 

"  1 2th.  After  dinner,  stay  with  your  rela- 
tions for  two  hours ;  take  up  some  needle- 
work at  this  time,  and  try  to  make  it  agree- 
able to  others  by  the  pleasantness  of  your 
society. 

"  1 3th.  You  will  then  go  to  your  room 
for  two  hours,  or  two  hours  and  a  half, 


158    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

during  which  you  will  say  your  beads  some 
twenty  times,  and  one  penitential  psalm,  so 
that  the  seven  psalms  and  the  long  rosary 
will  be  told  in  the  week ;  the  rest  of  the 
time  will  be  given  to  reading,  writing,  or 
lessons  in  music  or  painting. 

"  1 4th.  The  end  of  the  evening  will  be 
devoted  to  your  friends,  to  society,  accord- 
ing to  the  tastes  or  the  wish  of  your  hus- 
band. 

"  1 5th.  You  will  keep  the  same  rules  for 
supper  as  for  dinner.  You  will  say  your 
prayers  in  the  evening,  make  your  exami- 
nation, and  after  asking  God  to  forgive  the 
faults  of  the  day,  and  thanking  Him  for  the 
blessings  received,  you  will  try  to  go  to 
sleep  with  good  thoughts  of  some  kind. 

"  1 6th.  Your  confessor  alone  can  regu- 
late the  number  of  your  communions ;  I 
should  be  glad,  however,  if  you  would 
make  a  resolution  never  to  be  kept  away 
from  the  holy  table,  by  your  own  fault, 
for  more  than  a  month,  and  if  you  wish  to 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    159 

make  confession  easier,  you  will  go  to  the 
confessional  every  fortnight. 

"  For  three  days  before  communion  you 
will  read  daily  a  chapter  of  the  '  Imitation/ 
the  fourth  book.  You  will  keep  a  more 
careful  watch  over  yourself  ;  you  will  dis- 
charge your  duties  with  more  exactness, 
knowing  that  it  is  chiefly  the  disposition  of 
the  heart  that  God  asks  of  us. 

"  You  will  banish  everything  (except  for 
a  legitimate  reason,  the  wish  of  your  hus- 
band, for  instance)  that  might  distract  you. 

"  You  will  continue  the  reading  from  the 
'  Imitation '  for  three  days  after,  and  will 
watch  yourself  with  the  same  care,  in  giv- 
ing thanks. 

"  It  would  be  good  to  let  some  particular 
works  of  charity  precede  your  approach  to 
the  sacraments. 

"  This  rule,  good  for  the  time  being,  in 
that  it  is  compatible  with  all  your  duties, 
might  not  suit  you  at  another  time ;  it 
could  then  be  modified.  It  is  quite  enough, 


1 60    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

my  dear  child,  that  you  promise  not  to 
change  it  without  advice,  but  you  would 
do  well  to  accept,  to  propose,  even,  any 
change  which  seems  reasonable  to  you,  in 
view  of  a  difference  of  circumstances.  I 
am  going  to  try,  now,  to  write  down  for 
you  some  general  rules,  which,  while  fix- 
ing your  mind  on  certain  points,  will  make 
you  avoid  all  anxiety. 

"FIRST  GENERAL  RULE. 

"As  the  first  of  all  rules,  the  only  one  to 
which  salvation  is  promised,  is  the  doing 
one's  duty,  it  is  understood  that  the  dis- 
tribution of  your  time  will  always  be  sub- 
ject to  the  wish,  desire,  and  pleasure  of 
your  husband.  Any  time  that  his  presence 
may  interrupt  one  of  your  exercises,  you 
will  never  look  disturbed.  You  will  leave 
off  your  prayers  promptly,  even  when  you 
may  be  finding  them  most  comforting. 
At  all  times  you  will  be  animated  by  the 
desire  of  representing  virtue  to  him  as  at- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 6 1 

tractive,  and  to  that  end  you  will  try  to  re- 
form the  little  defects  of  character  that  are 
still  in  you,  and  which  would  hinder  this. 
When  your  exercises  shall  have  been  inter- 
rupted by  your  husband,  or  by  something 
independent  of  your  will,  you  will  have  no 
uneasiness  about  it,  and,  to  avoid  all  confu- 
sion, you  will  take  up  your  regular  pursuits 
according  to  the  time  prescribed,  at  the 
moment  when  you  are  free  again.  You  will 
take  care,  however  to  put  the  few  prayers 
directed,  and  the  religious  reading,  at  the 
hour  when  you  are  used  to  be  least  inter- 
rupted. 


"To  make  your  decision  about  anything 
that  you  may  have  to  do,  and  which  may 
not  be  comprised  in  this  rule,  you  will  ask 
if  the  action  or  the  thing  that  you  are 
going  to  undertake  can  be  offered  to  God. 
ii 


1 62    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

RULES   FOR  ALMS-GIVING. 

"  Every  time  that  you  receive  your  allow- 
ance you  will  take  out  the  portion  of  the 
poor.  You  might  fix  it  at  a  tenth  of  what 
you  have  at  your  disposal.  I  take  it  for 
granted  that  you  would  never  have  debts, 
for  then  you  could  n't  give  away,  which 
would  be  the  contradiction  of  justice. 

"  You  will  try  to  distribute  your  alms  with 
discrimination,  giving  the  preference  to  the 
old,  the  infirm,  and  those  who  are  particu- 
larly consecrated  to  God. 

"  If  you  could  sometimes,  without  omit- 
ting your  duties,  and  always  consulting 
the  rules  of  prudence,  if  you  could  yourself 
see  the  sufferers,  get  them  some  comforts 
through  your  interest,  cause  them  to  bless 
religion  and  the  God  of  charity,  who  has 
made  use  of  you  to  help  them,  you  would 
derive  a  very  sweet  satisfaction,  and  would 
only  have  to  guard  against  following  a  per- 
haps too  human  inclination.  I  have  no 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    163 

doubt  that  you  would  thus  sometimes  add 
to  the  sum  set  apart,  what  you  had  appro- 
priated to  a  new  fashion,  or  a  superfluous 
article  of  dress,  and  this  sacrifice  would 
not  be  without  its  importance. 

"RULES  FOR  YOUR  READING. 

"  This  subject  is  of  interest  to  all  ages, 
but  especially  to  youth,  when  all  impres- 
sions being  more  lively,  a  more  or  less 
judicious  choice  might  have  fatal  results. 
I  have  no  intention  of  speaking  to  you  of 
books,  either  against  religion  or  morals,  or 
even  of  romances.  Every  Christian  has 
renounced  these  at  his  baptism,  and  the 
principles  that  you  now  have  satisfy  me 
that  you  would  have  a  horror  of  them ; 
but  that  is  not  enough  ;  resolve  never  to 
read  religious  books  without  advice.  A 
book  is  good,  useful  at  one  time,  which 
might  be  dangerous  at  another  ;  and  he  to 
whom  God  has  trusted  the  care  of  your 
soul,  has  grace  given  him  to  decide  for  you. 


164  Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"As  to  your  books  of  instruction,  or 
pleasure,  it  is  sufficient  that  you  determine 
not  to  choose  them  for  yourself,  and  to  con- 
sult only  virtuous  and  wise  persons." 

Mademoiselle  Ernestine  is  become  Mad- 
ame la  Marquise  de  Rastignac  ;  the  prudent 
mother  had  no  wish  to  commit  the  future 
of  her  daughter  to  a  brilliant  but  frivolous 
man,  without  principle,  such  as  there  were 
so  many  of  at  that  time  ;  but  she  made 
choice  of  an  upright  man,  serious,  strongly 
attached  to  his  duty,  and  whose  relig- 
ious feeling  promised  well  for  him. 

Now,  notwithstanding  the  recent  and 
dreadful  calamities,  notwithstanding  the 
atrocities  which  Paris  has  just  witnessed, 
her  society  begins  to  whirl  with  festivities. 
One  would  say,  in  seeing  the  eagerness  of 
this  great  world,  still  dyed  with  the  blood  of 
its  martyrs,  that  it  would  fain  make  up  for 
its  sacrifices  by  dizzying  itself  in  the  vor- 
tex of  pleasures. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    165 

The  seventeen  years  old  marchioness  is 
one  of  the  most  invited,  and  most  feted  ;  her 
literary  advantages,  her  lively  and  spark- 
ling wit,  her  sportive  disposition,  attract  ad- 
miration and  praises  which  hide  a  twofold 
snare.  At  this  age  intoxication  is  easy  ; 
one  yields  himself  willingly  to  the  happi- 
ness of  feeling  himself  loved,  or  sought, 
....  the  good  and  confiding  nature  of  the 
young  woman  has  no  suspicion  of  the  ma- 
lignity of  a  world  as  envious  as  flattering, 
but  her  honest  conscience  hears  the  re- 
proach within,  "  God  is  not  satisfied  — 
He  asks  something  different."  A  filial  out- 
pouring consoles  this  soul  made  for  virtue  ; 
she  confides  to  her  mother  what  many  a 
one  will  not  own  to  himself.  She  is  en- 
couraged to  find  a  stay  as  tender  as  it  is 
strong,  and  quite  happy  to  take  refuge  in 
holiness  and  love  at  the  same  time. 

Under  the  impression  of  a  sweet  joy, 
and  of  a  real  alarm,  the  mother  responds 
by  new  counsels,  to  which  she  adds  the 
most  urgent  solicitation. 


1 66    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"MONTMIRAIL,  December  28,  1799. 

"  The  last  talks  with  you  filled  me  with 
comfort,  my  dear  Ernestine  ;  it  is  true,  the 
more  satisfaction  Ithad  in  them,  the  more 
is  your  departure  made  painful  to  me. 
Thus,  I  like  to  tell  you  that  they  left  a 
tender  impression  with  me,  in  which  my 
soul  loves  to  rest.  The  light  which  God 
in  His  mercy  gives  you  about  yourself, — 
an  inestimable  favour,  which  often  one  does 
not  possess  until  he  is  much  older,  —  the 
fulness  of  your  confidence,  and  more  than 
that,  the  teachableness  of  your  mind  ;  this 
is  what  fills  me  with  hope.  Yes,  I  rejoice, 
my  dear  child,  but  a  mother's  heart  passes 
very  quickly  from  hope  to  fear,  and  I  feel 
the  need  to  speak  for  a  few  moments  with 
you  of  the  different  reasons  which  make 
me  go  from  the  one  to  the  other.  May 
heaven  make  my  advice  useful  to  you. 
May  my  tenderness  justify  in  your  eyes  the 
alarm  which  is  perhaps  premature,  but,  I 
believe,  well  founded. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    167 

"  You  complain  of  a  weakness  in  your 
character  which  gives  you  the  appearance 
of  agreeing  with  the  person  who  is  talking 
with  you,  and  which  prevents  your  resisting 
everything  that  is  not  absolutely  bad  in 
itself  ;  you  feel  in  yourself  the  desire  to 
please,  a  coquetry  of  mind  which  makes 
you  seek  by  preference  those  whom  you 
consider  superior,  because  their  appro- 
bation is  more  flattering  to  you.  You 
are  disposed  towards  general  benevolence, 
which  might  well  be  a  virtue,  and  pro- 
ceed from  the  goodness  of  your  heart,  but 
that  it  has  also  for  motive  this  immod- 
erate desire  that  you  have  for  approbation. 
The  outcome  is,  that  regard  for  human 
opinion  has  daily  an  increased  empire  over 
you,  and  the  weakness  by  which  you  allow 
yourself  to  be  misled  prevents  you  from 
freeing  yourself  from  it.  Your  delicate 
conscience  warns  you  about  the  least 
things,  but  the  fear  of  being  blamed  and 
thought  a  poor-spirited  person  renders  you 


1 68    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

deaf  to  its  voice.  This  combat  grows  pain- 
ful to  you,  and  then  you  seek  to  persuade 
yourself  that  the  question  is  not  of  the 
first  necessity  ;  you  say  to  yourself,  that  in 
religion  one  may  put  aside  what  is  only 
advised,  in  order  to  make  a  point  only  of 
what  is  binding  ;  that  in  youth  there  would 
be  inconveniences  in  adopting  a  line  of 
conduct  which  one  could  not  be  sure  of 
following.  You  put  off  for  a  more  ad- 
vanced age  practices  of  which  you  feel  the 
necessity,  but  which  a  few  light  words 
cause  you  to  neglect.  You  set  apart  God's 
part;  you  limit  it,  and  you  let  the  world 
take  its  portion  and  increase  it  in  propor- 
tion as  the  other  diminishes.  This  division, 
however,  does  not  procure  you  the  tran- 
quillity which  you  seek,  for  the  mercy  of 
your  God  pursues  you  ;  you  cannot  enter 
into  yourself  without  blushing  for  your 
weakness,  without  being  humiliated  even 
(you  have  confessed  as  much  yourself),  for 
the  claim  that  this  weakness  has  estab- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.     169 

lished  upon  you,  and  without  being  fright- 
ened at  the  abyss  into  which  it  may  plunge 
you.  ....  '  But  I  do  no  harm/  do  you 
say  ?  Is  it  not  a  wrong,  then,  to  refuse  to 
God  what  one  feels  that  He  asks  ;  to  cheat 
one's  self  of  the  graces  that  attach  to 
fidelity ;  to  expose  himself  to  lose  those 
which  he  has,  by  resistance  ;  and  lastly, 
supposing  that  you  do  no  evil,  you  do  not 
all  the  good  which  you  ought,  and  to  which 
you  are  destined.  The  more  God  gives 
you  a  horror  for  vice,  and  inclination  for 
virtue,  the  more  He  urges  its  practice  in 
your  soul ;  the  greater  are  your  pledges  to 
Him,  the  more  guilty  you  are  if  you  cease 
to  fulfil  them.  Do  you  think,  dear  Ernes- 
tine, that  this  energy,  this  highness  of  sen- 
timent, this  strength  amid  so  great  weak- 
ness which  would  make  you  capable  of  great 
sacrifices,  this  gentleness,  this  evenness  of 
temper,  this  kindness,  this  gratitude,  which 
you  express  in  such  a  touching  way,  do  you 
think  that  they  should  be  limited  to  be  mere 


1 70    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

moral  qualities,  and  that  He  who  has  put  in 
your  heart  the  precious  germ  of  so  many 
virtues,  has  not  a  right  to  exact  that  they 
shall  be  exercised  for  Him,  and  can  you  be 
at  peace  so  long  as  you  prevent  their  use 
and  prevent  them  from  rising  to  the  source 
from  whence  they  proceed  ?  But  let  not 
your  sensibility  be  terrified,  for  these  same 
qualities  will  be  only  the  more  endearing 
and  lovable  when  they  shall  have  been  so 
directed. 

"  In  the  picture  that  I  have  just  drawn, 
my  child,  it  seems  to  me  that  you  cannot 
fail  to  recognize  yourself ;  for  it  is  the 
faithful  •  portraiture  of  all  that  the  frank- 
ness of  your  confidence  has  revealed  to  me, 
and  it  is  on  this  confession  that  I  base  my 
hopes  ;  when  an  evil  is  acknowledged,  it  is 
very  near  being  cured.  There  needs,  then, 
only  a  strong,  persevering  will  to  bring 
about  the  remedy,  and  you  will  ask  this  of 
Him  whom  you  pray  so  earnestly  not  to 
abandon  you. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    171 

"  I  must  tell  you,  joyfully,  that  in  writ- 
ing I  feel  all  my  fears  vanish  ;  my  mission 
to  you  is  full  of  consolation.  If  I  had  to 
open  your  eyes  to  yourself,  to  combat  your 
illusions,  I  could  be  uneasy,  because  of  the 
feebleness  of  my  parts  ;  but  here  the  mercy 
of  God  has  done  all.  I  speak  to  a  soul 
which  knows  its  own  misery,  which  be- 
wails the  gulf  towards  which  that  misery 
is  drawing  it,  whilst  a  powerful  hand  holds 
it  back,  to  which,  doubtless,  it  will  not  fail 
to  surrender  itself.  If  I  had  to  undeceive 
you  about  the  enchanting  fascination  of  all 
earthly  things,  your  great  youth  and  the 
perils  to  which  you  are  exposed  might 
alarm  me  ;  but  happy,  happy  mother,  I  have 
only  to  congratulate  myself  ;  scarcely  have 
you  tasted  these  delights  when  you  feel 
their  hollowness  and  insufficiency.  Your 
heart  finds  nothing  here  that  can  satisfy 
it.  You  examine  men,  —  you  have  already 
passed  judgment  upon  them ;  you  say  that 
they  are  nearly  all  foolish,  and  that  the 


172    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

number  of  the  wise  is  very  small ;  how  is 
it  to  be  thought,  then,  that  you  could  sac- 
rifice your  conscience,  your  peace  of  mind, 
your  eternal  happiness,  to  acquire  the  es- 
teem of  people  whom  you  scorn,  and  of 
a  world  whose  corruption  horrifies  you  ? 
And  why,  setting  aside  the  powerful  rea- 
sons which  I  doubt  not  will  determine  you, 
should  you  not  prefer  the  approval  of  that 
small  number,  which  assuredly  you  admit 
to  have  chosen  the  better  part,  since  you 
style  them  wise  ?  Besides,  would  it  not  be 
easy  to  prove  to  you  that  they  who  have 
done  most  to  merit  a  vain  esteem  have 
never  won  it  ? 

"  The  world,  inconsistent  in  its  conduct,  is 
not  always  so  in  its  judgments,  and  do  you 
know  who  are  the  people  towards  whom  its 
railleries  and  sarcasms  are  most  surely  di- 
rected ?  It  is  those  weak  characters,  those 
narrow  minds  which,  belonging  neither 
to  God  nor  the  world,  go  on  floating  in 
their  uncertainty,  not  doing  the  good  they 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    173 

love,  nor  avoiding  the  evil  that  they  fear. 
They  lay  themselves  open  to  ridicule  by 
their  inconsistencies,  and  reap,  as  the  fruit 
of  their  pains,  only  the  general  scorn  due  to 
the  cowardice  of  their  behaviour.  There- 
fore, humanly  speaking,  what  is  necessary 
to  get  men's  esteem  ?  To  be  in  harmony 
with  one's  self,  to  be  virtuous,  and  believe 
that  this  worldling  who  vents  his  malignity 
in  mocking,  if  he  finds  you  beyond  attack, 
does  homage  in  his  soul  to  the  principles 
against  which  he  inveighs  only  because 
they  are  his  condemnation.  Your  personal 
interest,  then,  is  found  to  be  at  one  with 
religion ;  it  teaches  you  to  despise  men's 
judgments,  while  you  see  that  this  is  the 
surest  way  to  get  their  esteem.  Religion 
asks  no  more,  but  she  is  not  content  with 
so  stingy  a  reward.  What  encouragements 
does  she  not  offer. !  What  hopes  !  What 
arguments  of  every  kind !  Ah,  my  child, 
lift  yourself  for  a  moment  above  all  that  is 
created ;  behold  the  heavenly  treasures, 


1 74    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

and  then,  if  it  be  possible,  be  ambitious  for 
the  earthly  !  See  the  crown  which  awaits 
you,  which  is  promised  to  your  courage, 
to  your  perseverance,  and  then  estimate 
the  frivolities,  the  toys  with  which  men 
amuse  themselves  here  below.  Fill  yourself 
with  love  of  your  God,  and  you  will  quickly 
know  how  to  value  the  esteem  and  the 
friendship  of  men.  Go  into  your  own  heart, 
and  you  will  find  Him  there.  He  calls  you, 
He  entreats  you,  He  awaits  you,  and  gives 
to  you  a  feeling  of  unchangeable  peace 
whenever  you  have  recourse  to  Him,  and 
submit  yourself  to  his  divine  will.  You 
will  try  in  vain  to  find  peace  elsewhere. 
"  What,  then,  holds  you  back,  my  dear 
Ernestine  ?  Your  mind  is  convinced,  yea, 
more,  it  is  enlightened  ;  your  heart  is 
touched ;  you  blush  for  your  weakness ; 
should  you  still  yield  te  it  ?  What  have 
you  to  put  in  the  balance  ?  The  jests  of 
those  who  will  not  have  the  strength  to 
imitate  you,  ....  the  railing  of  a  few  god- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    175 

less  ones,  ....  no,  such  puerile  fear  will 
not  make  you  hesitate  henceforward  ;  you 
will  not  set  yourself  up  as  a  preacher ;  this 
role  has  not  devolved  upon  you,  and  in 
sooth  you  would  not  have  acquired  this 
right ;  but  a  firm  behaviour  and  constant, 
in  harmony  with  your  principles,  this  will 
be  your  mission  ;  you  will  join  with  it,  ac- 
cording to  your  possibility,  all  the  attrac- 
tion that  gayety,  amiability,  and  simplicity 
can  offer,  to  make  it  more  efficacious.  The 
gentle,  quiet,  and  reserved  manner  in  which 
you  will  receive  all  the  bad  jokes  launched 
against  you  will  soon  take  away  all  desire 
to  make  them.  You  will  give  no  handle 
against  you,  because  all  will  be  regulated 
and  consistent.  This  conduct,  sustained 
for  two  or  three  years  only,  will  gain  for 
you  complete  liberty  ;  the  world  will  weary 
of  persecuting  you.  Certain  of  being  able 
to  gain  nothing,  it  will  exercise  its  mis- 
chievousness  upon  others,  whom  your  ex- 
ample will,  perhaps,  help  to  sustain.  You 


1 76    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

will  be  greatly  astonished,  at  the  end  of  a 
few  years  of  oblivion,  to  see  those  same 
persons  who  may  have  seemed  to  treat 
you  as  a  mean-spirited  and  narrow  per- 
son, seek  you  out,  consult  you  in  puzzling 
situations,  prop  themselves  by  the  reputa- 
tion you  have  acquired,  and  feel  honoured 
by  any  interest  which  you  may  take  in 

them But,  my  child,  why  fall  back 

upon  human  motives,  which  I  am  quite 
willing  should  encourage  and  sustain  you 
for  the  moment,  but  which  are  not  made 
for  a  soul  like  yours.  If  you  needed  simi- 
lar incentives,  could  I  forget  that  your  atti- 
tude towards  me,  your  confidence,  your 
sentiments,  give  me  the  most  powerful  that 
I  could  offer  you,  and  that  to  speak  to  you 
of  my  happiness,  my  satisfaction,  would  be 
to  decide  you  ?  But,  far  be  it  from  me  to  stop 
you  there ;  your  heart,  moreover,  speaks 

to  you,  mine  feels  it  only  too  deeply 

No,  my  child,  we  will  both  have  purer  and 
more  powerful  motives,  and  the  mother  of 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    177 

Ernestine  will  show  herself  worthy  of  her 
confidence,  by  teaching  her  to  know  the 
only  real  good,  the  only  interest  for  which 
one  should  sacrifice  everything.  Run  the 
race  that  is  open  to  you,  but  never  lose 
from  sight  the  eternity  which  ends  it ;  let 
all  your  actions  which  tend  toward  this 
goal  be  hallowed  and  animated  by  this 
hope.  Ah,  my  child,  there  is  the  happi- 
ness which  my  heart  solicits  for  you,  that 
for  which  I  would  lay  down  my  life,  my  re- 
pose ;  it  is  there  that  I  desire  to  possess 
you,  and  to  find  you  again,  no  more  to  leave 
you." 

This  language  was  understood  by  the 
lovely  young  woman,  so  truly  worthy  of  her 
mother,  in  spite  of  the  sensible  difference 
of  their  characters.  There  was  the  same 
elevation  and  generosity  of  sentiment.  The 
Lord  had  placed  them  side  by  side  ;  one 
to  call  out  abundantly  the  treasures  of  wis- 
dom contained  in  the  maternal  heart ;  the 
other  to  bring  a  counterpoise  to  all  the 


12 


178    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

seductions  of  mind  and  heart,  for,  notwith- 
standing a  precocious  maturity,  notwith- 
standing the  light  of  faith  which  illumi- 
nates certain  souls  at  a  tender  age,  and 
makes  them  say  with  the  wise  man,  even 
before  having  made  the  experiment,  "  Van- 
ity of  vanities,  all  is  vanity,  except  to  love 
God  and  to  serve  Him ; "  it  is  rare  that 
youth  is  exempt  from  sweet  illusions,  and 
gracious  and  very  natural  hopes  which  may 
perfectly  agree  with  the  purest  longings 
and  the  holiest  affections. 

Soon  a  new  happiness  and  new  duties 
came  to  fill  this  new  existence,  where  life 
seemed  to  run  over. 

Madame  de  Rastignac  received  her  little 
Zenaide  with  transports  of  love,  and  she  re- 
solved to  bring  her  up,  as  she  had  been 
herself  brought  up  by  the  most  watchful 
and  devoted  of  mothers.  To  complete  her 
joy,  she  heard  at  the  same  time,  that  her 
father  was  hastening  towards  France.  For, 
in  fact,  Monsieur  de  Doudeauville,  impa- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 79 

tient  to  see  his  family,  had  set  forth  on  the 
first  news  of  the  fall  of  the  Directory  (i8th 
Brumaire,  '99),  without  waiting  for  the  de- 
cree of  armistice  expected  from  the  first 
consul  by  all  the  emigrants  ;  but  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  journey  this  time  were  en- 
countered in  the  foreign  countries,  which, 
defeated  by  Bonaparte,  now  distrusted  all 
the  French.  By  the  aid  of  his  title  of 
Spanish  grandee,  under  the  name  of  Am- 
brosio,  born  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  distance 
from  Madrid  (the  Castle  of  Madrid  in  the 
Bois  de  Bologne  being  only  half  a  league 
from  Paris),  the  Duke  of  Doudeauville, 
without  telling  falsehoods,  traversed  Aus- 
tria and  Italy  as  a  Spaniard.  He  got  as 
far  as  Lyons,  from  whence  he  intended  to 
proceed  the  next  day,  when  a  letter  from 
his  wife  stopped  him  :  being  anxious,  she 
begs  him  to  wait  for  regular  papers  before 
finishing  his  journey.  He  submits,  not 
without  a  struggle,  for  when  one  has  nearly 
reached  a  long  desired  goal,  minutes  be- 


180    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

come  hours.  After  eight  days  of  unbea* 
able  waiting,  receiving  nothing,  he  decides 
to  take  up  his  journey,  and,  with  the  per- 
versity one  often  sees  in  the  affairs  of  this 
poor  world,  hardly  has  he  left  Lyons  when 
the  good  duchess  reaches  it ;  to  make  the 
greatest  speed,  she  has  travelled  night  and 
day.  Arrived  at  the  hotel,  she  eagerly 
asks  for  Monsieur  Ambrosio. 
"  Madame  will  surely  breakfast." 
"  Dear  me,  no ;  I  only  want  Monsieur 
Ambrosio !  "  Seeing  the  surprise  of  the 
landlady,  Madame  de  Doudeauville  adds  in- 
stantly, "  this  gentleman  is  my  husband." 
To  satisfy  her  impatience,  they  turn  over 
the  leaves  of  the  strangers'  book,  and  tell 
her  that  after  staying  for  ten  days  in  Ly- 
ons, Monsieur  Ambrosio  has  just  left 

Much  annoyed,  and  not  understanding  this 
conduct,  which  a  lost  letter  explained,  the 
noble  traveller  exclaims  :  "How  strange  it 
is,  ....  and  what  could  he  do  here  ? " 
The  landlady,  misunderstanding  the  feel- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    181 

ing  which  agitates  her,  thinks  it  her  duty  to 
say :  "  Be  reassured,  madam,  he  led  a  per- 
fectly correct  life  here.  He  went  to  walk 
a  great  deal,  but  alone  with  his  little  dog." 
In  spite  of  her  disappointment,  Madame  de 
Doudeauville  cannot  help  laughing,  and  an- 
swers that  she  is  not  uneasy  on  that  score. 
Then  she  asks  for  post-horses,  and  hastens 
her  departure. 

The  meeting  takes  place  at  Macon.  Ig- 
noring her  fatigue  and  poor  health,  in 
order  not  to  delay  the  happiness  of  them 
all,  the  happy  duchess  wishes  to  continue 
her  journey :  very  soon  the  whole  family 
is  reunited. 

Holy  Scripture  says  of  the  virtuous 
woman :  "  The  heart  of  her  husband  doth 
safely  trust  in  her,  so  that  he  shall  have  no 
need  of  spoil.  She  considereth  a  field  and 
buyeth  it.  Her  children  rise  up  and  call 
her  blessed ;  her  husband  also,  and  he 
praises  her."  The  application  is  easy  ;  not 
only  had  Madame  de  Doudeauville  pre- 


1 82    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

served  by  her  courage  all  her  property, 
but,  says  the  duke,  "  She  had  beautified  it 
by  her  cares,  and  improved  it  by  a  wise 
administration. 

"The  first  time  that  she  conducted  me 
to  one  of  our  estates,  she  presented  it  to 
me  like  a  conquest,  with  a  sweet  and  mod- 
est pride,  which  became  her  well.  I,  who 
had  for  long  despaired  of  seeing  myself  in 
these  mourned-for  places  ;  I  whose  am- 
bition in  my  days  of  exile  had  been  to  be 
able  to  retain  my  gardener's  house  thus,  I 
thought  I  dreamed  in  finding  myself  rein- 
stated as  master. 

"  The  benevolent  fairy  to  whom  I  owed 
the  preservation  of  this  beautiful  domain 
had  paid  me  the  delicate  attention  of 
appointing  as  steward  my  valet  de  chambre, 
whom  I  had  sent  back  to  France  eight 
years  before. 

"This  excellent  man,  who  had  been 
with  me  from  my  tenderest  childhood,  em- 
braced me  with  transport,  while  he  wept 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    183 

with  emotion.  His  tears  called  forth  my 
own. 

"  This  was  only  the  prelude  to  what  I 
was  to  experience  in  Paris,  on  finding  again 
my  mother,  my  children,  some  relatives, 
and  devoted  friends.  It  was  a  joy,  a  whirl, 
an  intoxication  ! " 

Alas  !  a  few  pages  farther  on  we  read  : 
"The  happiness  which  I  tasted  with  my 
own  dear  ones,  was  not  to  be  of  long 
duration." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DEATH   OF   MADAME   DE   RASTIGNAC. 

UP  to  this  time,  as  we  have  seen,  suf- 
fering has  not  been  lacking  to  the  pre- 
cious existence  whose  course  we  love  to 
follow ;  as  the  charming  young  child,  the 
gracious  young  woman,  the  brilliant  court 
lady  —  in  whatever  situation  we  consider 
her,  we  see  always  those  shades  of  earth, 
which  an  ignorant  hand  would  wish  to  ban- 
ish, but  without  which  we  have  beneath  our 
eyes  only  the  flat  representation  of  fleet- 
ing enjoyment. 

For  the  Duchess  of  Doudeauville,  these 
shadows,  these  trials,  were  always  growing 
heavier ;  during  the  torture  of  the  Rev- 
olution, she  trembled  for  the  beings  most 
dear  to  her  ;  she  felt  every  fear,  every  ap- 
prehension ;  only  the  Lord  was  almost  con- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    185 

tented  that  she  should  foresee  and  accept 
the  greatest  sacrifices.  A  visible  angel  to 
all  her  own,  she  was  marvellously  guarded 
and  defended  in  her  turn  by  a  celestial 
protector.  But  at  last  the  sword  must 
pierce  through  her  soul,  and  like  the  Virgin 
of  Sorrows,  towards  whom  she  feels  drawn, 
she  finds  her  appointed  place  at  the  foot 
of  the  cross  ;  we  shall  see  her  there,  brave 
and  generous,  bow  to  the  hand  of  God. 
She  has  braved  the  scaffold,  but  she  is  to 
have  her  martyrdom  still,  one  which  all 
mothers  will  understand. 

In  the  very  midst  of  festivities,  and  in 
the  intoxication  of  the  tenderest  joys,  Ma- 
dame de  Rastignac  suddenly  feels  a  serious 
failing  of  health ;  a  persistent  cough,  ac- 
companied by  fever,  a  general  condition  of 
weakness,  sad  symptoms  of  a  grave  disease, 
—  these  cause  alarm  in  a  family  whose  de- 
light she  is ;  for,  if  she  gave  to  the  world 
her  gayety  and  the  graces  of  her  mind,  she 
reserved  her  whole  heart  for  her  own  people. 


1 86    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

Relying  on  the  good  air  of  Montmirail  as 
the  best  remedy,  her  mother  takes  her  there 
in  the  course  of  July,  1802  ;  but  instead  of 
being  checked,  the  malady  becomes  more 
evident,  and,  towards  the  end  of  August, 
they  hasten  back  to  Paris,  where  they  can 
find  all  the  resources  of  art.  Madame  de 
Doudeauville  then  installs  herself  in  her 
daughter's  room  ;  for  nearly  three  months 
she  passes  her  days  there,  and  often  her 
nights  too,  hanging  upon  the  beating  of  her 
heart,  watching  in  her  face  the  progress  of 
an  illness  of  whose  gravity  she  has  a  pre- 
sentiment, while  with  all  her  might  she 
clings  to  the  faintest  ray  of  hope.  But 
the  Lord  does  not  permit  a  long  truce  to 
those  whom  He  has  chosen  to  glorify  Him 
more  especially.  To  the  sacrifices  which 
each  day  exacts,  He  adds  harder  trials  ; 
He  makes  them  drink,  at  times,  of  the  deep 
waters  of  tribulation  ;  and  that  which  is  an 
alarm  to  the  erring  or  slumbering  soul  is 
a  recompense  to  the  faithful  soul,  become 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    187 

the  spouse,  the  friend ;  to  whom  the  Lord 
says,  as  once  to  his  favoured  disciples : 
"  Can  ye  drink  of  my  cup  ? " 

Let  us  follow  the  mother  and  daughter 
in  this  last  struggle,  where  they  rival  each 
other  in  faith,  self-abnegation,  and  generos- 
ity. A  letter  of  Monsieur  1'Abbe"  Legris- 
Duval  has  left  us  a  document  upon  these 
last  hours,  precious  for  its  touching  edifi- 
cation. Profoundly  anxious,  but  always 
mistress  of  herself,  Madame  de  Doudeau- 
ville,  so  soon  as  she  perceives  the  danger, 
desires  that  the  minister  of  the  Lord  should 
come  to  aid,  sustain,  console,  and  if  it 
needs  must  be,  to  prepare  for  her  depar- 
ture the  child  of  her  love.  What  she  pro- 
poses is  very  simple  ;  the  priest  has  always 
had  his  place  at  the  fireside ;  he  is  a  fam- 
ily friend,  and  as  such  he  comes  to  talk 
with  the  invalid,  to  speak  to  her  of  the 
many  graces  attached  to  suffering,  of  the 
merits  which  she  may  acquire.  These 
strengthening  words  are  welcomed  by  a 


1 88    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

spul  accustomed  from  its  infancy  to  read  in 
the  great  book  of  the  Divine  Will. 

"  In  loving  my  mother,"  says  Madame  de 
Rastignac,  "  I  learned  to  love  virtue.  I 
always  thought  it  the  voice  of  God  that  I 
heard  when  she  spoke,  and  in  obeying  her, 
I  felt  it  to  be  His  will  that  I  did." 

The  beginnings  of  the  disease  were 
marked  by  the  terror  due  to  vague  and  sad 
presentiments  ;  then  she  invoked  God,  and 
afterwards,  turning  towards  her  mother,  she 
said  to  her :  "  Stay  with  me  ;  near  you  I 
have  never  been  afraid  of  anything."  And 
she  slept  tranquilly  in  this  safe-keeping. 

The  hope  of  entire  and  quick  recovery 
came  quickly  to  this  ardent  nature  prone 
to  confidence,  then  the  fears  returned.  She 
hid  them  carefully  from  her  mother,  her 
father,  her  husband  ;  but  at  times  she  al- 
lowed others  to  see  her  forebodings.  Feel- 
ing herself  more  ill,  she  said  one  day:  — 

"  I  am  resigned  to  all  God  may  will,  but 
I  confess  that  it  would  cost  me  much  to 
give  up  life." 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    189 

"  That  is  natural,"  said  some  one,  "  at 
twenty-one  years,  with  all  the  advantages 
that  insure  happiness." 

"  No,"  she  said,  laughing,  "  these  are  no 
ties ;  you  don't  understand  me." 

"  But  you  are  a  wife  and  a  mother  !  " 

"  Ah,  I  feel  that  more  keenly  than  ever  ! 
And  I  am  a  daughter."  These  last  words, 
pronounced  in  an  accent  of  tenderness  and 
grief,  were  heart-rending. 

She  who  in  infancy  had  found  her  hap- 
piness in  relieving  the  poor,  whose  greatest 
pleasure  had  been  to  give,  provided  that 
her  charities  were  kept  secret,  she  who  had 
always  been  kind  and  devoted  to  her  pa- 
rents, friends,  and  servants,  forgot  herself 
up  to  the  last  moment,  in  busying  herself 
with  thought  for  others.  Six  weeks  before 
her  death,  a  prey  to  the  sharpest  sufferings, 
she  had  set  her  mind  upon  writing  to  her 
husband  who  was  kept  away  from  her  in 
spite  of  himself.  She  feared  that  the  sight 
of  a  strange  handwriting  might  cause  him 
uneasiness. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

Her  condition  now  forbidding  her  to 
keep  long  any  one  position  or  to  make  any 
movement  without  acute  pain,  the  desire 
of  practising  patience,  and  the  fear  of  af- 
flicting those  about  her,  arrested  every  com- 
plaint, stifled  every  sigh,  and  when,  sur- 
prised by  the  violence  of  the  suffering,  she 
let  a  groan  escape  her,  she  would  temper 
the  impression  thus  made  by  a  smile,  a  re- 
assuring word.  Each  one  received  tokens 
of  her  goodness  ;  her  servants  rendered 
her  no  service  that  she  did  n't  show  her 
satisfaction.  To  distract  her  father  from 
his  alarm,  she  would  cast  about  her  for  any- 
thing that  might  interest  him.  As  soon 
as  her  husband  returned,  they  had  good 
talks  together.  They  spoke  of  the  future, 
and  especially  of  a  plan  made  for  mutual 
sanctification. 

Every  day  the  invalid  begged  her  mother 
to  read  a  chapter  from  the  Gospel  to  her,  on 
which  she  made  comments  ;  and  after  the 
reading  she  would  kiss  the  holy  book  re- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    191 

spectfully.  "  At  what  are  you  astonished," 
she  said  to  those  who  saw  her,  "  is  it  not 
the  word  of  God?" 

On  the  soth  of  October,  thinking  her 
not  ill  enough  to  receive  the  Holy  Viati- 
cum, Monsieur  LeVis  brought  her  the  com- 
munion at  midnight*.  The  next  day,  the 
joy  and  sensible  improvement  of  the  sick 
woman  attested  her  happiness. 

"  How  good  the  Lord  is,"  she  said,  "  can 
one  ever  love  Him  enough  ?  How  He  re- 
pays us  for  our  sacrifices  !  Could  I  refuse 
Him  one  ?  .  .  .  .  We  make  so  many  for 
the  world !  Let  Him  dispose  of  me  as  He 
will,  I  am  sure  that  it  will  always  be  for 
my  good." 

She  even  came  to  cherish  her  sufferings. 
"  I  should  be  sorry  to  have  less  pain,"  she 
often  said  ;  "  Jesus  Christ  bore  much  greater 
suffering."  She  made  it  a  rule  to  accept 
what  was  offered  to  her,  in  spite  of  any  re- 
pugnance, in  memory  of  the  vinegar  and 
myrrh  given  to  her  Saviour. 


192    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

In  the  early  days  of  November  a  new 
consultation  pronounced  the  disease  in- 
curable. Her  father  was  present.  The 
mother,  at  the  daughter's  side,  awaited  the 
answer,  in  mortal  apprehension  ;  they  took 
care  not  to  bring  it  to  her.  But  the  silence 
revealed  everything.  .Without  asking  any 
questions,  as  soon  as  the  doctors  are  gone, 
she  hastens  to  the  foot  of  the  altar,  her 
ordinary  refuge  ;  here  she  meets  her  hus- 
band, and  reads  in  his  tear-stained  eyes 
the  terrible  decree,  offers  with  him  her  sac- 
rifice, calls  the  Virgin  of  Sorrows  to  her 
aid,  and  returns  to  her  daughter  with  a 
face  of  perfect  calmness.  In  respect  to  her 
silence,  the  invalid,  who  knows  that  her 
fate  has  been  decided,  asks  no  question, 
and  when  they  try  to  sound  her  thoughts, 
she  is  content  to  answer,  "I  am  in  the 
hands  of  Providence,  as  it  were  in  my 
mother's  arms." 

However,  in  spite  of  the  forebodings  in- 
tensified at  intervals,  Madame  de  Rastig- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    193 

nac,  as  is  often  the  case  in  this  disease, 
hoped  for  a  cure.  God  allows  these  alter- 
nations to  give  the  dying  person  the  merit 
of  the  sacrifice,  and  yet  not  to  have  him 
always  facing  a  weight  too  crushing  for  his 
weakness.  Being  warned  by  her  confessor, 
Monsieur  Levis,  she  seemed  astonished  to 
be  so  near  her  end,  but,  as  always,  her 
thought  was  for  her  mother.  She  feared 
that  this  presage  of  the  last  sacraments 
might  give  her  a  mortal  blow ;  and,  lest 
another  should  wound  this  heart  whose 
tenderness  she  knew,  she  would  give  to  no 
one  the  charge  of  preparing  her. 

This  woman  of  twenty,  before  whom  the 
tomb  is  opening,  and  who  can  hardly  speak, 
is  about  then  to  encourage  her  mother  to 
see  her  die.  Calling  her  to  her  bedside, 
as  soon  as  the  confessor  is  gone,  she  says 
to  her,  "  Monsieur  LeVis  has  proposed  to 
me  to  receive  the  sacraments  in  a  day  or 
two  ;  do  you  not  think  it  would  be  for  my 
13 


1 94    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

edification  ?  Extreme  Unction  never  does 
harm." 

With  her  soul  torn  within  her,  but  calm 
and  tranquil  in  appearance,  the  mother 
says  in  answer  everything  that  religion  and 
tenderness  can  inspire  at  such  a  moment. 
The  sick  woman  being  reassured,  then  al- 
lows her  heart  to  speak  freely :  "  I  did  not 
think  myself  so  ill ;  the  veil  has  just  been 
torn  away ;  I  must  die ;  this  news  having 
moved  me,  I  had  need  of  you  to  set  myself 
right." 

Let  us  hear  the  answer,  worthy  of  the 
mother  of  the  Maccabees  :  "  My  daughter, 
if  God  sees  in  your  heart  the  submission 
of  Isaac,  and  in  mine  the  faith  of  Abra- 
ham, perhaps  He  will  turn  aside  the  sword  ! 
....  But  let  us  call  to  our  mind  Jesus 
Christ,  His  obedience,  His  self-devotion." 

"  O  my  mother ;  my  only  friend,  you 
know  why  I  should  regret  life  ;  .  .  .  .  but 
fear  nothing,  your  daughter  will  be  worthy 
of  you." 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    195 

She  was  indeed  so,  for  a  little  after  she 
added  in  a  steady  voice :  "  Before  you  go 
out  of  the  room,  the  sacrifice  must  be  made 
with  the  perfection  that  God  demands. 
....  Mother,  my  sacrifice  is  accom- 
plished   Let  us  bless  God,  calm- 
ness is  restored.  But  if  any  trace  of  emo- 
tion be  visible,  they  might  be  afflicted. 
Let  us  read  a  chapter  in  the  '  Imitation.' " 
They  opened  at  hazard,  and  fell  upon  this 
chapter  :  "  On  the  royal  road  of  the  holy 
cross."  The  mother  emphasizes  these 
words,  "  In  the  cross  is  the  strength  of 
soul ;  in  the  cross,  the  joy  of  the  mind,  the 
consummation  of  virtue,  the  perfection  of 
holiness.  If  you  bear  the  cross  with  a  good 
heart,  it  will  carry  you  on  and  conduct  you 
to  the  longed-for  goal,  where  you  will  cease 
to  suffer." 

"Take  up  your  cross,  then,  and  follow 
Jesus,  and  you  will  attain  to  eternal  life." 

The  invalid,  encouraged,  enraptured, 
cries  with  transport :  "  What  a  treasure  is 


196    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

the  cross  !  ....  It  is  very  true,  that  death 
is  a  gain,  and  suffering  an  actual  good." 

Remembering,  then,  some  trifling  details 
of  which  she  had  spoken  to  her  mother, 
she  imparts  them  to  her,  and  adds :  "  I 
thank  God  in  dying,  that  I  have  never  had 
a  single  thought  which  was  unknown  to 
you." 

Leaving  her  daughter  peaceful  and  full 
of  confidence,  the  poor  mother,  broken  by 
the  effort  which  she  had  just  made,  re- 
tires for  a  moment.  Pale,  with  choking 
breath,  she  was  heard  to  say,  from  time  to 
time,  without  shedding  a  tear  :  "  I  hope  no 
longer  ;  my  daughter  is  going  to  die." 

Aware  of  her  danger,  the  sick  woman 
wished  to  know  the  exact  degree.  On  the 
next  day  she  asked  to  speak  alone  with  the 
physician.  The  conversation  was  a  kind 
of  interrogatory,  and  in  questioning  the 
doctor  most  eagerly,  she  watched  his  eyes, 
his  expression,  his  smallest  movement. 
The  answer  was  a  sentence  which  his  hu- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    197 

manity  wished  in  vain  to  mitigate.  She 
heard  it,  without  being  troubled,  and  with- 
out moving,  ....  while  the  physician,  his 
heart  heavy,  his  mind  struck  by  so  great 
youth,  trouble,  and  courage  united,  declared 
that  he  could  not  recover  from  the  impres- 
sion during  the  entire  day. 

The  moments  grew  precious ;  the  sick 
woman  spoke  to  the  Abbe"  Legris-Duval,  on 
that  very  day,  of  the  blessedness  of  re- 
ceiving the  sacraments. 

"It  will  be  to-morrow,"  she  added. 

"  To-morrow  ?  Your  mother,  your  hus- 
band know  about  it ;  they  would  surely 
wish  that  this  sad  duty  were  discharged  as 
soon  as  possible.  The  waiting  will  be  cruel 
to  these  loving  hearts." 

"  You  are  right ;  I  do  not  wish  to  make 
them  suffer;  I  shall  cost  them  sorrow 
enough.  It  shall  be  this  evening.  I  wish 
to  spare  the  feelings  of  my  relatives  this 
scene,  but  I  have  begged  my  mother  to  be 
here  ;  it  would  be  too  hard  for  her  to  keep 


198    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

away.  Besides,  I  need  her  presence ;  she 
is  my  good  angel ;  she  is  my  life  ;  I  could 
indeed  believe  I  have  .never  done  anything 
well  without  her ;  I  owe  to  her  cares  the 
prolonging  of  my  days,  and  to  her  virtues 
my  salvation." 

At  the  news  of  the  ceremony  which  was 
to  take  place,  the  whole  household  seemed 
to  have  been  struck  by  a  sentence  of  death. 
The  old  servants  wept  as  if  they  were  going 
to  lose  one  of  their  own  children  ;  conster- 
nation is  spread  abroad ;  but  by  the  sick- 
bed peace  reigns.  Fear  and  anxiety  seem 
banished  from  this  sanctuary,  where  the 
constancy  of  the  mother  and  the  resigna- 
tion of  the  daughter  have  triumphed.  How 
grand  they  are,  both  of  them,  in  these  last 
moments.  The  mother,  on  her  knees,  con- 
trols her  tears,  and  allows  only  accents  of 
faith  to  escape  from  her  heart,  uniting  her 
prayers  with  those  of  the  church ;  offer- 
ing the  hands  of  the  daughter  herself  for 
the  Extreme  Unction.  She,  peaceful  and 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    1 99 

perfectly  collected,  responds  to  the  prayers 
with  a  steady  voice. 

"This  is  the  body  of  your  Saviour,"  says 
the  priest  to  her ;  "  do  you  believe  this  ? " 

"  Ah  !  how  I  believe  it !  "  she  cries  ;  and 
these  words  were  emphasized  with  such 
fervour  of  love,  that  those  who  heard  wept 
in  repeating  them. 

After  the  ceremony  the  fever  abated,  the 
rest  of  the  day  was  calm,  her  powers  seemed 
to  take  on  more  life,  but  the  next  day  the 
condition  became  so  alarming,  that  more 
than  once  they  thought  the  last  moment 
had  come.  With  her  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
crucifix,  the  sick  woman  repeated  lovingly : 
"  I  unite  my  sufferings  to  Thine,  my  Sav- 
iour. Thy  merits  are  infinite;  they  will 
supply  my  insufficiency." 

Towards  evening  she  asked  for  the  Abbe 
Legris-Duval.  "  Be  my  interpreter  to  my 
mother  when  I  shall  be  no  more,"  she  said 
to  him.  "  Conjure  her  to  live  after  I  am 
gone,  in  spite  of  her  sorrow  ;  express  to 
her  this,  my  last  wish." 


2OO    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"  You  feel  very  ill,  then  ?  " 

"  Yes,  very  ill." 

"  The  poor  mother  !  .  .  .  .  But  you  will 
pray  God  to  comfort  her  ? " 

"  Oh,  yes  ;  but  soothe  you  her  grief  ;  per- 
suade her  to  take  care  of  herself." 

"  Your  mother  has  ties  and  duties  left 
which  are  dear  to  her ;  she  will  attend  to 
her  health,  you  may  be  sure  ;  but  at  all 
events,  if  we  must  ask  it  of  her,  who  can  do 
it  better  than  you  ?  Speak  to  her  yourself  ; 
we  shall  be  sure  of  being  heard,  if  we  recall 
to  her  what  her  dying  daughter  has  said." 

"  This  very  evening,  I  will  get  her  prom- 
ise to  live  and  act  as  mother  towards  my 
little  girl.  I  hope  that  she  will  find  Er- 
nestine again  in  Zenaide.  Monsieur  de 
Rastignac  has  already  begged  her  to  adopt 
the  child,  and  she  has  consented.  How 
happy  is  my  daughter ;  she  will  be  brought 
up  by  my  mother." 

There  was  more  conversation  ;  she  added 
in  conclusion  :  "  What  will  you  do  for  me 
when  I  am  dead  ? " 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    201 

"  I  shall  mourn  for  you,  as  all  will  do  who 
know  you,  and  I  shall  pray  God  for  you." 

"  And  I  ?  —  I  shall  be  busy  for  you  all 
in  heaven." 

"  You  are  sure  of  going  there,  then  ? " 

"  I  have  that  confidence.  I  abandon  my- 
self entirely  to  God,  and  I  am  without  so- 
licitude." 

A  sinking  condition  followed.  Madame 
de  Doudeauville  came  in  haste,  and  being 
alone  with  her  mother,  the  sufferer,  with  a 
touching  confidence,  implores  her  to  keep 
up  for  the  sake  of  all  her  dear  ones.  She 
bequeaths  to  her  her  dear  Zdnaide.  She 
then  begs  that  they  will  ask  the  Abb6  Le- 
gris-Duval  to  come  back  again,  as  she  de- 
sires to  dictate  her  last  wishes  to  him. 

"  Never,"  says  he,  "  had  I  seen  her  more 
herself,  or  more  lovely,  and  yet  she  was  in 
a  kind  of  agony.  Cold  sweats,  continual 
sinkings,  hiccoughings,  announced  the  su- 
preme moment."  She  asked  him  to  take 
her  writing-desk,  and  added :  — 


2O2    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"  I  wish  to  make  my  will,  for,  I  am  of 
age  ;  I  am  twenty-one  years  old." 

"  A  will,  madame  ?  I  am  not  a  notary ; 
I  do  not  know  the  proper  form." 

"It  is  only  some  provision  for  my  pa- 
rents, and  for  Monsieur  de  Rastignac  ;  I 
have  never  had  anything  to  do  but  to  make 
my  desires  known  to  them  ;  besides,  I  will 
sign,  ....  if  I  can,  for  I  am  very  weak. 
I  would  like  to  say  that  I  leave  the  world 
with  resignation,  but  grieving  deeply  for 
my  family,  —  arrange  all  that." 

The  dying  woman,  recalling  then  all  the 
memories,  all  the  affections  of  her  life, 
expressed  herself  with  so  much  ardour, 
that  her  secretary  could  hardly  follow  her. 
"  How  many  tears  I  shall  cause  my  mother ! 
And  what  a  sacrifice  to  leave  her  !  She  has 
always  made  me  so  happy!  People  have 
said  that  my  education  was  too  severe. 

How  little  they  knew  my  mother If 

I  had  to  complain,  it  would  be  of  too  much 
happiness  ;  perhaps  I  was  too  much  accus- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    203 

tomed  to  fulfil  my  duties,  through  senti- 
ment for  her.  She  has  known  how  to  make 
everything  agreeable  to  me,  through  my 
one  idea  of  pleasing  her.  It  is  the  truth  ; 

you  have  witnessed  this   yourself 

Promise  me  to  repeat  to  her  often,  that  she 
made  the  happiness  of  her  daughter,  and  if 
I  have  caused  her  pain,  implore  her  to  par- 
don me." 

Afterwards  she  spoke  of  her  father ; 
she  compassionated  his  misfortunes  :  "  So 
young  to  have  been  banished  from  his  peo- 
ple for  ten  years,  and  to  come  back  to  his 
family  only  to  see  his  daughter  die  before 
his  eyes !  It  will  make  him  very  unhappy  ! 
My  brother  Sosthenes  will  take  my  place 
to  him ;  he  will  do  better  than  I.  Tell  him 
that  I  counted  on  his  good  heart,  and  that 
this  idea  comforted  me  in  dying.  Tell 
Monsieur  de  Rastignac  that  I  wished  to 
live  to  make  him  happy."  Then  she  spoke 
of  her  aunt,  Madame  de  Montesquieu,  whom 
she  loved  very  much,  because  she  had  al- 
ways told  her  the  truth. 


204    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

At  the  end,  she  wished  to  sign,  but  the 
good  duchess  had  to  be  called,  to  place  the 
writing-desk  comfortably.  Her  daughter 
hastened  to  prepare  her.  "Mother,"  she 
said,  laughing,  "  I  am  very  weak ;  that 
must  be  the  case  when  one  makes  his  will ; 
my  hand  trembles ;  I  think  I  am  losing  my 
memory,  too.  How  must  I  write  la  Roche- 
foucauld ? "  And  she  continued  to  laugh. 

Sustaining  her  daughter  with  one  hand, 
and  steadying  the  paper  with  the  other, 
the  courageous  mother  peacefully  dictated 
each  letter  of  the  signature. 

This  last  night  was  cruel ;  all  the  house 
were  up.  The  sick  woman  seeing  a  servant 
come  into  her  room,  said  to  him  :  "  Why 
don't  you  go  to  bed  ?  I  would  rather  not 
disturb  anybody." 

At  the  moment  when  her  mother  is  her 
only  support,  she  entreats  her  to  go  and 
take  some  rest ;  on  her  refusing,  she  insists. 
Then  the  poor  mother  goes,  but  only  to 
hide  herself  in  the  corner  of  the  room. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    205 

She  stays  there  for  two  whole  hours,  not 
daring  to  move,  scarcely  breathing,  for  fear 
of  being  perceived.  At  last,  she  allows 
herself  to  be  torn  away,  as  her  daughter 
seems  better  ;  but  a  moment  or  two  after, 
she  comes  in  again.  "  Mother,"  says  the 
dying  one,  "  the  hour  is  come.  Shall  we 
both  have  courage  ?  " 

The  Abb£  Legris-Duval,  coming  in  at  v 
that  moment,  stands  dumb  with  admiration 
before  the  picture  presented  to  him.  The 
expiring  one  has  already  put  on  the  celes- 
tial glory  of  a  transported  serenity.  Her 
mother  stands  at  her  side,  her  eyes  riveted 
on  her  daughter.  She  is  calm,  but  affect- 
ing in  her  intense  expression  of  maternal 
anguish.  She  is  great  in  all  the  majesty  of 
religion  and  misfortune.  Addressing  her- 
self to  the  priest,  the  young  woman  says : 

"  I  am  about  to  die  ;  will  you  promise  not 
to  leave  me  until  the  end  ? " 

"  Ah,  madame,  I  should  have  asked  that 
of  you  as  a  favour." 


206    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"  Nor  you,  either,  my  good  mother  ?  "  A 
gentle  embrace  assures  her.  She  adds : 
"Let  us  make  an  act  of  renunciation  as 
perfect  as  possible.  My  God,  I  surrender 
into  Thy  hands  my  soul  and  my  life.  I 
abandon  all  my  interests  to  Thy  love  ;  do 
with  me  as  it  pleases  Thee.  I  unite  my 
sufferings  and  my  death  to  that  of  Jesus 
Christ,  in  whom  alone  I  hope." 

Having  thus  expressed  her  own  feeling, 
she  asks  them  to  pray  with  her,  and  repeats 
the  acts  of  love  and  of  faith  pronounced  by 
the  priest,  as  if  already  she  felt  herself  in 
the  sensible  presence  of  her  God.  While 
the  witnesses  of  these  last  moments  with- 
drew to  give  free  course  to  their  tears,  the 
mother,  always  completely  self-controlled, 
stays  by  her  daughter,  joins  in  her  act  of 
sacrifice,  and'  makes  her  repeat  it. 

All  the  house  being  assembled  for  the 
prayers  of  those  in  extremity,  the  sick 
woman  turns  to  her  father,  and  collecting 
all  her  strength,  asks  aloud  for  a  last 
blessing. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    207 

He  springs  towards  his  daughter,  em- 
braces and  blesses  her.  "  Father,  spare 
me,"  she  says  to  him  ;  "  I  feel  too  much  the 
sacrifices  I  have  to  make." 

Her  mother,  on  her  knees,  betrays  her- 
self this  time  ;  her  tears  flow.  "  Preserve 
your  courage,"  says  Ernestine  to  her  ;  "  we 
shall  need  it  to  the  end."  The  husband,  the 
brother,  also,  have  their  turn,  and  receive 
the  last  farewell  which  is  only  a  rendezvous 
for  heaven.  Hope  was  so  vivid,  that  it 
already  transported  the  dying  one  to  the 
happy  term  of  exile.  "  Shall  I  be  in  heaven 
soon  ?  Is  life  about  to  end  ?  When  shall 
I  see  my  God?"  Then  moderating  her 
desire,  she  added  :  "  Let  us  not  yield  our- 
selves to  impatience ;  that  would  be  giving 
place  to  temptation."  She  confided  to  the 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  with  simplicity, 
her  slightest  imperfections,  and  when  she 
could  no  longer  make  herself  quite  heard, 
her  mother  interpreted  her  confession. 

In  the  morning,  when  the  Holy  Sacrifice 


208    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

is  offered  with  her  intention,  she  renews 
her  own  sacrifice,  her  sufferings  being  ex- 
treme. "  I  am  making  my  purgatory,"  she 
says,  joyfully,  as  she  keeps  her  eyes  fixed 
upon  the  crucifix,  and  upon  an  image  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  which  she  kisses  in  turn, 
pronouncing  the  name  of  Jesus  and  Mary. 
Her  last  words  were  for  her  God  and  for 
her  who  had  taught  her  to  love  Him.  Feel- 
ing her  tongue  stiffen,  she  turns  and  says 
in  a  dying  voice  :  "  Mother,  forgive  me  and 
bless  your  daughter." 

Although  she  had  received  the  holy  Via- 
ticum three  days  before,  Monsieur  Levis, 
thinking  that  so  great  faith  and  generosity 
authorized  a  dispensation,  proposes  to  ad- 
minister the  Holy  Communion  again.  "  It 
is  all  that  I  desire,"  she  says,  with  trans- 
port. They  make  haste  ;  the  time  is  short. 
For  a  moment  her  eyelids  drop ;  she  seems 
to  lose  the  use  of  her  senses  ;  but  scarcely 
is  she  in  the  presence  of  Him  who  has 
said  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life," 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    209 

when  her  eyes  open,  and  she  is  conscious 
of  her  privilege.  She  had  feared  that  she 
might  not  be  able  to  swallow  the  wafer,  but 
with  an  impulse  full  of  simple  frankness, 
she  cries  :  "  Mother,  I  was  able  to  receive 
it."  These  were  her  last  words.  At  the 
same  moment  she  lost  consciousness,  but 
without  agitation  or  effort.  Her  condition 
was  more  like  the  peace  of  a  soul  lost  in 
sweet  contemplation,  than  the  last  failing 
of  nature. 

While  those  who  stood  by,  bathed  in 
tears,  asked  each  other  whether  she  was  in 
heaven  or  on  earth,  the  dying  woman  bends 
her  head  towards  her  mother,  and  gives  up 
her  soul  so  gently,  that  Monsieur  Levis  is 
the  first  to  perceive  it. 

But  the  pious  duchess,  on  her  knees, 
motionless,  watches  still  for  a  movement,  a 
breath.  She  calls  Ernestine  ;  no  one  dares 
to  answer.  At  last,  Monsieur  Levis,  with- 
out saying  a  word,  draws  the  crucifix  from 
the  daughter's  hands,  and  places  it  in  those 


2  io    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

of  the  mother.  How  touching,  how  sub- 
lime was  this  afflicted  mother Not  a 

murmur,  not  a  cry,  but  a  torrent  of  tears, 
hitherto  restrained,  now  suddenly  deluges 
this  cross.  She  seizes  it,  embraces  it,  and 
pressing  it  to  her  lips,  seems  to  wish  that 
she  too  might  leave  her  last  sigh  there. 

A  moment  after  she  rises,  approaches 
her  daughter,  puts  her  mouth  a  hundred 
times  to  the  half  open  mouth,  the  lifeless 
eyes,  questions  her  with  her  gaze,  embraces 
her  again,  and  sits  down  to  see  her  better, 
and  to  satisfy  her  hunger  for  the  last  time 
with  this  heart-rending  spectacle. 

After  a  moment  of  silence,  Monsieur  de 
Doudeauville  proposes  to  his  wife  to  with- 
draw. "  I  will  do  what  you  like,"  she  an- 
swers, "  though  I  am  better  off  here  than 
anywhere  else."  A  few  more  minutes  hav- 
ing gone  by,  he  insists  anew,  and  entreats 
her  to  go  away.  She  gets  up  then,  goes 
towards  the  bed,  falls  on  her  knees,  makes 
a  short  prayer,  again  embraces  those  dear 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    211 

remains,  and  without  a  gesture  or  a  cry, 
leaves  her  daughter  forever. 

Having  gone  down  to  her  family,  she 
receives  them  with  touching  sweetness. 
But  the  measure  of  her  strength  is  spent. 
Soon  she  loses  consciousness  and  falls  into 
a  sort  of  delirium,  succeeded  by  profound 
exhaustion  ;  and  yet  in  the  intensest  mo- 
ment of  her  grief  she  keeps  the  expres- 
sion and  the  feeling  of  complete  resigna- 
tion. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PRIVATE   LIFE. 

JUST  as  one  cannot  prevent  at  times  a 
feeling  of  sadness  in  seeing  the  season  de- 
cline, so,  when  arrived  at  the  middle  of  its 
course,  cold  often  enters  the  poor  human 
heart,  which  measures  by  its  own  experi- 
ence the  value  of  all  good  here  below. 
But  let  us  not  pity  the  heart,  for  at  this 
moment  a  rich  and  abundant  harvest  is 
preparing;  if  the  autumn  has  not  the 
charms  and  perfumes  of  the  fresh  season, 
it  has  others  no  less  agreeable,  and  more 
precious  for  their  usefulness. 

Howbeit  the  second  part  of  the  exist- 
ence of  Madame  de  Doudeauville  exhibits 
less  brilliant  features,  it  is  not  less  rich  in 
miracles  of  grace  and  holiness.  Her  mis- 
sion continues ;  the  past  has  given  her  an 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    213 

irresistible  empire  over  her  own  people  ; 
in  her  constant  labour  to  keep  herself  in 
the  background,  whilst  devoting  herself 
to  the  happiness  of  all  about  her,  she 
has  become  sovereign  of  the  hearts  which 
willingly  suffer  an  ascendency  exercised 
with  so  great  love  and  modesty !  The 
sight  of  her  recalls  the  canticle  of  her  who 
is  her  model,  — "  My  soul  doth  magnify 
the  Lord,  ....  He  hath  regarded  the 
lowliness  of  his  handmaiden ! "  In  truth, 
while  a  thanksgiving  is  always  on  her  lips, 
even  after  the  greatest  sacrifices,  it  seems 
as  if  the  breath  of  vanity  had  no  power  to 
touch  her.  The  blow  just  fallen  has  left 
in  her  heart  a  profound  impression  of  sad- 
ness ;  the  image  of  her  daughter,  ever  be- 
fore her  eyes,  brings  her  yet  oftener  to  the 
foot  of  the  cross  ;  it  is  not  distraction  that 
is  wanted  by  this  truly  afflicted  mother ; 
she  has  need  to  unite  her  sorrow  with  that 
of  Calvary. 

One  of  the  dominant  thoughts  of  the 


214    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

virtuous  duchess  since  the  Revolution  has 
been  to  contribute  with  all  her  power  to 
set  up  the  overturned  altars,  to  restore  the 
pious  monuments  to  their  proper  destina- 
tion, and  the  parishes  to  their  legitimate 
pastors.  As  soon  as  calm  was  somewhat 
established,  on  going  to  live  on  her  fa- 
vourite estate,  whose  name  she  had  borne 
before  her  marriage,  she  hastened  to  take 
the  necessary  steps  with  the  authorities, 
sparing  neither  trouble  nor  sacrifice  of  all 
kinds,  to  put  a  faithful  priest  in  the  place 
of  the  intruder  who  was  supplying  the 
church  of  Montmirail.  Thanks  to  her 
care,  and,  above  all,  to  her  liberality,  the 
new  cure"  also  entered  the  vicarage,  which 
had  been  transformed  for  several  years 
into  barracks. 

Whilst  she  was  herself  negotiating  all 
these  affairs,  and  before  they  had  arrived 
at  a  happy  conclusion,  she  bought  at  Mont- 
Han,  a  suburb  of  Montmirail,  the  remains 
of  an  old  Benedictine  priory.  She  desired 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    2 1 5 

in  this  way  to  save  the  church  from  total 
destruction,  to  have  a  sure  place  where  the 
Catholic  worship  would  be  exercised,  and 
to  make  an  honourable  amend  to  the  Lord 
for  the  outrages  committed  during  the 
Revolution.  Another  reason  which  deter- 
mined her  to  buy  this  priory,  was  the  piti- 
able state  in  which  she  found  the  asylum 
founded  by  the  lamented  John  de  Mont- 
mirail ;  the  sick  poor  were  in  uncom- 
fortable premises,  given  into  hired  hands, 
without  any  true  comfort  for  soul  or  body. 
Madame  de  Doudeauville  formed  the  proj- 
ect of  appropriating  the  greater  part  of  the 
buildings  of  Montl^an  to  this  hospital. 

In  the  time  of  the  Gondi  de  Retz,  the 
Castle  of  Montmirail  had  sheltered  Saint 
Vincent  de  Paul,  then  tutor  to  the  famous 
cardinal ;  and  the  admirable  founder  of 
Saint-Lazan,  and  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity, 
did  not  forget  the  little  town  of  Brie,  in 
the  first  attempts  at  religious  establish- 
ments, which  he  planned  at  that  time. 


2 1 6    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

Faithful  to  these  sacred  and  honourable 
memories,  the  virtuous  duchess  confided 
the  new  asylum  to  the  intelligent  and 
devoted  care  of  Sisters  of  Charity.  She 
added  to  it  a  little  free  school  and  a  work 
room  for  poor  orphans  ;  but  it  was  not 
without  great  difficulty  that  she  realized 
her  holy  plans. 

It  was  in  the  very  midst  of  this  zealous 
work,  that  the  good  God  afflicted  her  in 
the  most  sensible  manner  by  calling  to 
Himself  her  beloved  daughter.  This  sad 
event  made  her  resolve  to  reserve  for  her- 
self the  part  of  the  church  which  for  sev- 
eral years  had  been  a  pilgrimage  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin ;  to  repair  it,  consecrate  it 
to  the  cross,  and  to  have  a  vault  hollowed 
out  to  receive  her  Ernestine.  She  wished 
to  have  her  near  herself  ;  to  pray  over  her 
tomb  for  the  consummation  of  her  happi- 
ness ;  to  find  there  the  inspiration  to  do 
any  good  work,  and  from  the  hope  of  re- 
union to  draw  the  courage  needed  to  be 
faithful  to  all  that  grace  demands. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    217 

While  pursuing  her  plan,  her  heart  is 
again  saddened  by  a  grievous  loss.  After 
being  detained  at  Paris,  to  hasten  the  wind- 
ing up  of  some  business,  she  made  great 
speed  to  rejoin  her  mother-in-law,  whom 
she  had  left  at  Montmirail  unwell.  She  set 
forth  then,  as  fast  as  possible,  with  her  hus- 
band. On  the  way  an  accident  to  the  car- 
riage having  made  the  good  duchess  fear 
for  a  moment  that  her  son  was  crushed  to 
death,  she  experienced  such  a  shock  that 
her  health  was  shaken  by  it  for  a  long 
time.  This  was  only  the  beginning  of  the 
troubles  of  this  sad  journey,  As  they 
approached  home,  the  embarrassment  of, 
the  castle-servants,  their  hesitation  in  an- 
swering the  eager  questions  of  the  duke 

and  duchess,  increased  their  anxiety 

Their  presentiments  were  only  too  well 
founded  ;  the  viscountess  had  just  expired 
in  her  easy-chair,  without  any  suspicion 
on  her  part  or  on  the  part  of  those  about 
her  that  she  was  near  her  end.  The 


218    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

heart  already  wounded  is  more  sensitive  to 
fresh  grief,  and  Madame  de  Doudeauville 
mourned  with  her  husband  a  real  mother,  to 
whom  the  heavy  trials  borne  together  had 
knit  her  very  closely.  Amid  her  tears,  there 
remained  the  great,  the  one  consolation,  of 
thinking  that  the  sudden  death  had  not 
been  unexpected.  From  contact  with  her 
daughter-in-law,  Madame  de  la  Rochefou- 
cauld had  become  as  remarkable  for  piety  as 
she  had  always  been  for  natural  goodness. 

Now  the  project  of  making  of  Montlean 
a  place  of  burial  had  raised  many  difficul- 
ties. Madame  de  Doudeauville  encoun- 
•  tered  opposition  where  she  least  expected 
it ;  but  she  followed  up  her  undertaking 
with  as  much  firmness  as  moderation,  and 
finally  triumphed  over  every  obstacle. 

On  the  1 4th  of  September,  1804,  the 
chapel  of  Montlean  was  solemnly  opened. 
Monsieur  1'Abbe"  Legris-Duval,  in  an  elo- 
quent discourse,  announced  the  permission 
given  by  the  sovereign  pontiff  to  dedicate 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    2 1 9 

the  altar  to  the  Cross,  and  to  celebrate 
there  the  two  feasts  of  the  Invention  and 
Exaltation  with  full  octave  and  rites. 

Two  days  after,  the  remains  of  Madame 
de  Rastignac  were  brought  from  Paris 
and  deposited  in  the  vaults  at  Montlean ; 
they  laid  there,  too,  the  body  of  the  Vis- 
countess of  Rochefoucauld  and  the  heart 
of  the  Marshal  of  Estr6es. 

Monsieur  de  Doudeauville  was  then  trav- 
elling in  Italy  with  his  son  and  his  son-in- 
law  ;  the  virtuous  duchess,  who  ordered  all 
the  preparations  for  the  ceremony,  gives 
him  the  account  in  this  simple  and  touch- 
ing description :  — 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  To-day  the  trans- 
portation of  our  beloved  daughter  is  to 
take  place.  Pardon  the  details  that  I  am 
going  to  give  you,  but  I  feel  in  my  poor 
heart  that  they  will  interest  you.  I  had 
not  dared  to  mention  the  idea  that  pos- 
sessed me,  thinking  it  would  be  impos- 


22O   Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

sible ;  but  nevertheless  I  asked  Arnolet, 
who  from  his  attachment  wished  to  be  one 
of  the  witnesses,  to  assure  himself  of  the 
condition  in  which  she  was.  His  manner 
of  answering,  after  seeking  information, 
showed  me,  that  at  the  end  of  a  year,  it 
was  probable  that  nothing  would  remain. 
But,  to  the  astonishment  of  all,  they  found 
her  as  she  was  at  the  moment  of  her  death, 
without  the  smallest  sign  of  corruption, 
without  odour.  Arnolet  recognized  her  per- 
fectly. They  uncovered  her  face  only,  but 
on  changing  her  from  one  bier  to  another, 
it  was  proved  that  the  whole  body  was 
equally  well  preserved.  Why  could  n't  I 
have  seen  her  once  more  !  They  said  she 
had  a  beatific  expression.  If  that,  coupled 
with  the  heroic  sentiments  of  her  last  mo- 
ments, could  give  me  the  certainty  of  her 
present  happiness,  it  seems  to  me  I  should 
be  less  unhappy.  I  shall  have  then  in  my 
possession,  and  you  after  me,  and  then  our 
son,  this  precious  deposit.  May  we  all 
meet  again  in  heaven  ! " 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    221 

The  new  church,  by  its  form,  and  the 
distribution  of  the  daylight,  recalled  some- 
what the  image  and  solitude  of  the  tomb. 
On  the  left  of  the  little  nave  was  a  chapel 
dedicated  to  our  Lady  of  Pity.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  the  sanctuary,  raised  five  steps,  was 
the  altar,  surrounded  by  funeral  emblems, 
allowing  one  to  see  partially,  beyond,  a 
heap  of  rough  stones  covered  with  moss  ; 
and  from  this  rustic  mound  uprose  a  cross 
formed  of  a  pine  trunk  in  the  bark.  This 
cross  in  the  darkness  caught  the  sombre 
light  of  a  sepulchral  lamp  which  the  altar 
hid  from  view.  Under  the  sanctuary  was 
the  vault  destined  for  the  burying.  It  was 
to  the  foot  of  this  cross  that  the  duchess 
often  came  to  renew  the  sacrifice  of  all  that 
she  held  dearest,  and  to  fortify  her  soul  by 
the  contemplation  of  the  sufferings  and 
humiliations  of  the  divine  heart  of  Jesus. 

The  interest  which  she  gave  to  sacred 
worship  did  not  prevent  her  from  directing, 
with  admirable  wisdom,  her  family  affairs ; 


222    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

and  her  always  increasing  inclination  for 
the  mysteries  of  the  Passion  changed  in  no 
wise  the  charm  of  her  intercourse  and  the 
sweetness  of  her  relations  with  all.  Good, 
devoted,  vigilant,  she  takes  in  all  her  duties 
as  wife,  mother,  lady  of  the  manor,  head  of 
the  house ;  her  eyes  reach  as  far  as  her 
heart,  and  are  never  disturbed  by  passion. 
She  has  but  one  desire,  —  to  do  good,  to 
relieve,  to  heal,  to  comfort,'  to  preserve,  to 
edify.  This  is  the  continual  object  of  her 
thoughts,  and  mainspring  of  her  actions. 
Grace  has  so  penetrated  her  heart  that  she 
makes  no  distinction  between  express  com- 
mand and  simple  counsel ;  the  most  perfect 
has  become  to  her  an  imperious  necessity. 
With  what  tender  solicitude  does  she 
watch  over  little  Zenaide,  doubly  dear  by 
the  ties  of  nature  and  as  the  sacred  legacy 
of  her  dying  daughter.  She  begins  again 
with  this  child  the  task  she  had  so  well 
accomplished  in  the  early  years  of  her  mar- 
riage, and  fearing  that  the  atmosphere  of 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    223 

mourning  might  sadden  the  years  which 
crave  life  and  gayety,  she  gives  her  a  com- 
panion in  her  games  and  her  studies. 
Therese  Perardel  was  just  the  same  age 
with  Mademoiselle  de  Rastignac,  and  hav- 
ing been  brought  up  with  her,  she  never 
left  her,  and  became  for  the  grandmother, 
as  well  as  for  the  little  girl,  a  friend  as 
discreet  as  devoted,  in  whom  they  both 
placed  the  most  entire  confidence. 

It  is  a  difficult  thing  to  hold  all  the 
powers  of  the  soul  in  such  perfect  equi- 
librium that  the  discharge  of  one  duty 
should  never  interfere  with  the  fulfilment 
of  another,  and  that  a  strong  affection 
should  not  sometimes  become  exclusive ; 
but  this  was  not  the  case  with  the  virtuous 
duchess.  Monsieur  de  Doudeauville  has 
kept  carefully  the  letters  which  she  ad- 
dressed to  him  during  the  different  jour- 
neys which  he  took  after  the  death  of  his 
daughter.  We  see  in  this  correspondence 
the  model  wife  who  has  perfect  intelligence 


224    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

of  her  duty ;  full  of  deference,  she  con- 
sults her  husband  on  every  occasion,  and 
when  she  imparts  her  own  ideas,  she  does 
it  with  so  much  tact  and  delicacy  that  she 
guides  his  decision  while  appearing  only  to 
ask  his  opinion. 

"  I  hope  you  will  not  disapprove  my  little 
journey,"  she  writes,  "for  in  all  that  I  do 
I  seek  to  divine  your  wishes." 

She  is  very  attentive  to  the  rules  of  the 
church,  and  knows  admirably  well  how  to 
couple  the  respect  due  to  them  with  the 
considerations  claimed  by  the  health  of  her 
husband.  She  writes  to  him  thus  :  — 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  One  thing  at 
which  I  absolutely  take  exception  is  your 
resolution  to  fast  while  you  are  taking  the 
waters.  I  request  you  to  consult  the  doctor 
upon  this  point,  and  to  do  what  he  shall 
tell  you.  You  have  manifested  your  faith 
in  a  high  degree  by  observing  the  laws  of 
abstinence  up  to  this  day.  I  am  convinced 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    225 

that  you  would  do  yourself  real  harm  in 
continuing  this  longer.  I  do  not  know 
whether  my  letter  will  .reach  you.  But 
what  I  know  very  well  is  that  I  am  always 
troubled  about  your  health,  and  that  the 
consciousness  of  having  been  once  mis- 
taken is  reassuring  neither  for  the  present 
nor  for  the  future,  and  justifies  the  anxiety 
of  every  moment.  I  have  a  grudge  against 
my  son,  a  little  one  against  his  wife,  too ; 
a  great  one  agajnst  Raphael,  and  finally 
against  everybody,  except  the  doctor  if  he 
has  cured  you." 

In  looking  over  these  letters  it  is  pleas- 
ant to  find  this  good  mingling  of  warmest 
piety  and  tenderest  sentiment. 

"  How  happy  you  are  to  have  been  at 
Anne"cy  !  I  would  give  all  the  rest  of  your 
journey  for  this  one  excursion,  but  not  the 
pleasure  which  I  should  have  had  in  mak- 
ing it  with  you.  How  many  moments  of 
rapture  have  I  spent  by  the  tomb  of  your 
15 


226    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

favourite  saint !  And  how  useful  was  his 
intercession  in  restoring  peace  to  my  soul, 
and  in  freeing  it  from  the  noxious  vapours 
in  which  the  sojourn  at  Genoa  had  envel- 
oped it !  What  delicious  expeditions  among 
the  poor  those  were !  How  many  lessons 
I  received !  And  what  examples  of  virtue 
were  given  me !  God  permitted  this,  and 
the  remembrance  will  always  be  dear  to 
me !  .  .  .  .  I  feel  moved  in  thinking  of  it, 
for  my  poor  heart,  torn  with  sorrow,  does 
not  keep  back  my  soul  from  enjoying  with 
transport  all  that  connects  it  with  its  God ; 
and  this  is  the  happiness  of  the  Christian ! 
Taste  it,  my  dear  friend  ;  may  all  whom  we 
love  share  it  with  us,  and  may  we  one  day 
in  heaven  drink  in  long  draughts  from  this 
fountain  of  delights." 

As  the  courageous  duchess  had  preserved 
the  family  property  during  the  Revolution, 
at  the  peril  of  her  life,  Monsieur  de  Dou- 
deauville  was  desirous  that  she  should  keep 
the  administration  of  it.  But  if  she  ac- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    227 

cepts  the  trouble  of  managing  the  fortune, 
she  wishes  to  leave  the  honour  and  the  chief 
enjoyment  of  it  to  her  husband,  to  whom 
she  submits  the  details  of  any  changes 
that  are  contemplated ;  of  any  measures 
that  are  to  be  taken.  She  awaits  his  de- 
cisions, she  makes  a  point  of  what  he  or- 
ders, and  if  a  discussion  arises  between 
them,  they  wish  mutually  to  yield  the  right 
of  settling  the  question. 

This  woman,  so  superior  in  all  points, 
was  endowed,  as  we  have  had  occasion  to 
see,  with  a  great  spirit  of  order  and  ad- 
ministration. She  entered  into  the  smallest 
details ;  revised  the  greater  part  of  her  ac- 
counts herself  ;  made  calculations  ;  acted 
in  concert  with  her  farmers  :  it  was  impos- 
sible to  deceive  her.  Her  charity  as  well 
as  her  justice  prompted  her  to  this  wise 
vigilance.  She  looked  upon  herself  as  the 
trustee  of  a  property  belonging  to  her 
children  and  to  the  poor.  She  who  was 
so  careful  to  avoid  waste,  and  any  needless 


228    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

expense,  not  only  carried  on  her  house  on 
a  footing  suitable  to  her  rank,  but  showed 
herself  truly  great  whenever  there  was  an 
opening  for  succouring  or  obliging  others. 
She  united  two  qualities  as  precious  as 
they  are  rarely  joined  :  perfect  order  and 
inexhaustible  generosity.  Extremely  deli- 
cate in  any  question  of  interest,  she  was 
always  disposed  to  give  a  judgment  against 
herself  when  there  was  the  slightest  doubt ; 
she  would  then  say  to  her  men  of  business : 

"  I  beg  you,  gentlemen,  not  to  cause 
me  to  enter  purgatory  for  a  question  of 
money." 

The  following  letter  reveals  at  the  same 
time  the  just  mind,  the  clear  sight,  of  a 
woman  who,  undazzled  by  a  brilliant  for- 
tune, wishes  to  limit  her  expenses  to  her 
income,  and  the  delicacy  of  a  heart  which 
knows  how  to  make  an  important  sacrifice 
very  gracefully. 

"  You  will  never  find  me  severe,  when 
there  is  a  question  of  giving  pleasure  to 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    229 

others,  and  particularly  to  your  friends  ; 
you  are  quite  free,  besides,  to  use  your  for- 
tune as  you  please,  and  you  will  never  see 
me  do  otherwise  than  applaud  or  keep 
silence  ;  but  I  will  tell  you  frankly  that  if 
we  are  rich,  we  are  very  embarrassed  rich 
people.  If  we  do  not  limit  our  charities 
and  our  expenses,  we  shall  leave  debts,  or 
we  shall  encroach  on  our  capital,  which 
is  the  same  thing,  and  which  agrees  neither 
with  our  principles  nor  with  our  affection 
for  our  children.  All  these  reflections  come 
to  me  from  my  present  occupation  with 
your  affairs,  and  from  the  fright  occasioned 
me  by  the  incalculable  number  of  our  ex- 
penses, which  are  always  on  the  increase. 

I  doubt  whether  Monsieur  de  N will 

be  able  to  pay  back  the  fifteen  thousand 
francs  ;  but  I  shall  share  the  pleasure  you 
will  have  in  giving  them." 

In  following  the  correspondence,  we 
soon  have  the  secret  of  these  considerable 
payments  ;  besides  the  share  of  the  poor,  a 


230    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

large  set-off  from  the  income,  are  numer- 
ous pensions  for  those  who  have  rendered 
services,  and  for  certain  persons  fallen 
from  opulence  into  want.  Madame  de 
Doudeauville  had  a  particular  regard  for 
this  kind  of  misfortune.  As  for  the  ser- 
vants, they  formed  such  an  integral  part 
of  the  family  that,  once  admitted  into  the 
house,  they  stayed  there  until  their  last 
breath.  In  their  old  age  they  were  plied 
with  delicate  attentions,  and  the  best  care 
was  lavished  upon  them  in  their  sicknesses 
or  infirmities. 

Where  shall  we  find  more  faith,  more 
delicacy  and  charity,  than  in  the  following 
lines,  written  by  the  pious  duchess  to  her 
husband :  — 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  Your  man  from 
Verneuil  has  arrived  ;  he  is  interesting, 
and  very  glad  to  enter  your  service.  But 
you  had  n't  told  me  that  his  wife  is  very 
ill.  I  was  confounded  when  I  saw  a  poor 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    231 

dropsical  woman  arrive,  just  on  the  point 
of  being  tapped  ;  but  I  thanked  Heaven, 
and  said  to  myself  that  it  is  by  this  sign 
we  should  recognize  that  they  are  designed 
for  us." 

Such  generous  sentiments  should  excite 
gratitude  and  unfailing  fidelity;  in  fact, 
never  were  these  so  true  and  so  oft  re- 
peated words  better  realized  than  at  the 
castle  of  Montmirail :  "  Good  masters  make 
good  servants." 

One  cannot  read  without  emotion  a  page 
in  his  memoirs  when  the  Duke  of  Dou- 
deauville,  recalling  the  terrible  invasion  of 
1814,  comes  back  to  what  concerns  his  own 
castle,  and  gives  all  the  honour  of  its  pres- 
ervation to  the  courageous  devotion  of  his 
servants.  But  let  us  quote  his  own  words  : 
"  If  our  castle  is  still  standing,  whilst  the 
greater  part  of  the  neighbouring  houses 
have  been  pillaged  and  destroyed,  it  is  to 
the  courage  of  our  people  that  we  owe  it. 


232    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

Being  detained  at  Paris,  we  relied  entirely 
upon  them  to  take  the  proper  care  of  defend- 
ing our  interests  ;  the  principal  responsibil- 
ity fell  upon  an  old  family  nurse  who  was  in 
my  house  in  the  capacity  of  housekeeper. 
Her  name  was  Langlois.  For  about  two 
months  she  never  went  to  bed,  and  in  spite 
of  her  sixty  years,  she  was  obliged  to  meet 
the  exigencies  of  the  numerous  daily  vis- 
itors. Once,  for  instance,  her  energy  was 
put  to  a  severe  test.  Some  Cossacks  hav- 
ing been  killed  in  crossing  the  country, 
their  regiment  came  the  next  day  to  burn 
Montmirail  ;  by  dint  of  supplication,  a  com- 
mutation of  the  penalty  was  obtained.  Six 
hours  of  pillage  in  the  town,  two  hours  at 
the  castle,  were  judged  a  sufficient  expia- 
tion for  the  blood  shed.  The  inhabitants 
on  all  hands  had  fled  into  the  woods.  Our 
housekeeper  alone  dared  to  stay  at  her 
post.  Presenting  herself  bravely  before 
the  forty  Cossacks  who  came  to  execute 
the  order  given  out,  she  asked  them  what 
they  wanted. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    233 

" '  To  plunder  ! '  they  answered,  with  a 
laconicism  worthy  of  Sparta. 

" '  Very  well ;  I  will  show  you  the  way 
and  open  the  doors  for  you/  she  said,  with- 
out losing  her  head.  She  did  it,  though,  to 
prevent  all  disorder. 

"  In  the  two  hours'  duration  of  this  per- 
formance, she  remained  among  the  men, 
restraining  them  as  best  she  might,  allow- 
ing nothing  to  be  broken,  and  even  pre- 
venting them  from  carrying  off  the  most 
precious  things.  This  admirable  conduct 
and  rare  courage  left  their  mark  upon  the 
memory  of  the  strangers,  and  eight  or  ten 
years  after,  a  prince  royal  of  Prussia  asked 
one  of  my  relatives,  at  Saint  Petersburg, 
if  this  good  lady,  who  kept  them  all  re- 
spectful, was  still  in  existence.  She  could 
not  save  from  destruction,  however,  our 
poor  merino  sheep.  She  had  found  some 
protectors  whom  she  placed  herself,  like  a 
general,  so  that  they  called  her  General 
Langlois.  But  the  soldiers  had  invented  a 


234   Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

new  kind  of  fishery  which  they  found  much 
to  their  taste.  They  had  partly  taken  up 
the  tiling  of  the  lofts  above  the  sheep 
yard,  and  through  the  holes  made  in  the 
floor  they  let  down  ropes,  with  which  they 
fished  up  the  rams  and  the  sheep,  and  were 
highly  pleased  with  their  succulent  catch  ; 
we  lost  at  this  game  nearly  two  hundred 
merinos,  but  the  originality  of  the  inven- 
tion made  us  laugh. 

"  Once  Napoleon  dined  at  our  castle ; 
another  time  he  slept  there.  This  night 
came  near  costing  us  dearly.  Finding 
his  chamber  too  small  for  his  big  maps, 
he  wished  to  have  what  he  called  the  par- 
tition knocked  away ;  but  our  good  Lang- 
lois  resisted  him  as  she  did  everybody  else, 
and  the  partition,  which  was  nothing  less 
than  a  wall  three  feet  thick,  was  saved. 

"Though  the  Cossacks  fell  upon  all 
whom  they  met,  and  made  them  act  as 
guides,  sometimes  causing  them  to  perish 
through  fatigue  and  beating,  my  poor  stew- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.  235 

ard,  Gallet,  in  spite  of  his  seventy  years, 
explored  our  farms,  his  stick  in  his  hand, 
and  cast  about  him  for  ways  to  ward  off  or 
remedy  the  devastations. 

"  As  to  my  valet  de  chambre,  Raphael, 
the  faithful  companion  of  my  exile,  he  gave 
me  new  proofs  of  his  devotion.  In  a  letter 
which  chanced  to  reach  me,  he  informed 
me,  '  They  are  fighting  in  the  town,  they 
are  fighting  in  the  courts  of  your  castle ; 
the  balls  reach  the  chamber  where  I  am 
writing.  I  do  not  know  what  will  be  our 
fate ;  but  be  sure  that  to  the  last  we  shall 
show  ourselves  worthy  of  such  good  mas- 
ters. I  would  only  recommend  to  you  my 
poor  children.' 

"  We  sent  word  to  them  in  every  way, 
to  leave  everything,  to  give  up  everything, 
assuring  them  that  we  would  much  rather 
lose  all  than  to  make  them  run  such  ter- 
rible risk,  or  even  to  leave  them  exposed  to 
such  trial.  Not  one  of  them  yielded  to  our 
prayers ;  and  even  the  servants  whom  we 


236  Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

had  at  Paris  begged  us  to  let  them  go  and 
aid  their  comrades  to  save  our  property. 
How  much  touched  we  were,  and  thrilled, 
by  such  proofs  of  attachment,  and  how 
they  made  amends  for  all  our  losses ! " 

In  her  practice,  the  virtuous  duchess 
looked  upon  the  little  and  great  domestic 
vexations  as  a  particular  mark  of  favour, 
which,  in  calling  for  the  exercise  of  charity, 
quietly  increase  the  number  of  humble 
and  solid  virtues.  Reproving  the  persons 
placed  under  her  control  with  gentle  firm- 
ness, she  chose  with  good  discernment  the 
suitable  time  and  way  for  giving  directions  ; 
but  she  bore  with  unchanging  patience  the 
tempers,  the  natural  imperfections,  and 
even  the  faults  of  character  which  she 
considered  incorrigible.  She  never  com- 
plained of  them,  and  her  example  as  well 
as  her  advice  won  the  others  over  to  this 
mutual  support,  indispensable  to  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  union  of  hearts.  Her  pres- 
ence of  itself  dissipated  any  cloud  arisen 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    237 

between  two  persons  ;  her  expression  of  se- 
renity made  the  peace  of  heaven  pass  into 
all  who  approached  her  ;  they  felt  that  she 
was  continually  in  the  presence  of  her 
God.  But  her  inexhaustible  kindness  did 
not  prevent  her  from  being  dignified  and 
imposing,  especially  if  she  had  a  lesson  to 
give.  A  civic  priest,  having  introduced 
himself  into  her  house,  in  spite  of  the  pro- 
test, found  the  duchess  alone,  seated  in  the 
parlour  ;  she  did  not  rise  to  receive  him, 
and  she  did  not  offer  him  a  seat  ;  but  he, 
retorting  by  insolence,  took  one  without 
ceremony.  She  rose  immediately,  and  lis- 
tened, standing,  grave  and  cold,  to  what  he 
had  to  say ;  disconcerted  by  this  attitude, 
which  was  a  more  expressive  reproach  than 
a  long  speech,  the  unhappy  man  made 
haste  to  get  away. 

During  the  entire  time  of  the  intrusion, 
she  never  appeared  at  any  of  the  parish 
offices,  and  had  mass  said  in  her  oratory 
by  some  faithful  priest. 


238    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

She  took  great  heed  never  to  scandalize 
any  one,  according  to  the  counsel  of  the 
Apostle,  who  exhorts  us  to  consider  the 
weak.  Whilst  she  was  at  work  on  the 
ornaments  for  the  church,  she  would  often 
occupy  her  spare  hours  on  Sunday  in  ex- 
amining the  week's  work,  and  in  compar- 
ing it  with  the  design,  which  she  composed 
herself.  One  day,  when  she  was  thus  sit- 
ting before  her  frame,  surrounded  by  pa- 
pers and  pencils,  she  received  a  call  from 
the  wife  of  one  of  her  farmers.  Fearing 
that  the  sight  of  these  instruments  of  work 
might  scandalize  the  good  woman,  she 
tried  to  make  her  distinguish  that  this  was 
not  a  servile  work  -and  contrary  to  God's 
law  ;  but  she  soon  perceived  that  she  was 
not  and  never  would  be  understood,  for 
each  of  her  explanations  received  invari- 
ably the  same  answer :  "  Yes,  madame,  I 
see  very  well,  each  one  works  in  his  own 
way." 

The  pencils  were  forthwith   laid   aside, 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    239 

and  never  reappeared  except  on  fete  days  or 
Sundays. 

It  was  not  by  accident,  or  circumstance, 
and  still  less  through  caprice,  that  the  good 
duchess  applied  herself  to  handiwork ;  in 
all  points  like  the  virtuous  woman,  she 
understood  plying  her  needle  adroitly,  and 
never  lost  an  instant's  time.  The  poor  and 
the  churches  called  out  her  zeal  in  this  di- 
rection. The  persons  admitted  to  her  inti- 
macy found  her  always  occupied,  and  her 
work  was  a  great  help  to  her  in  escaping 
from  conversation  when  she  saw  fit.  She 
was  at  times  seen  to  be  deep  in  her  em- 
broidery, and  then  all  at  once  to  come  to 
the  front,  bringing  back  to  the  paths  of 
charity  those  who  were  straying  from  it. 
As  soon  as  she  took  up  the  thread  of  talk, 
they  smiled  pleasantly,  seeing  what  she 
would  make  of  it,  for  her  reputation  was 
thoroughly  established. 

This  assiduity  in  work  induced  her  hus- 
band to  address  to  her  the  following  verses, 


240    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

which  we  shall  quote  to  show  the  esteem 
and  veneration  in  which  he  held  her: 

With  virtues  and  charms  well  adorned, 
And  all  without  any  pretension, 

My  wife  has  still  her  head  turned 
By  this  strange    as  it  is  a  proud    passion. 

She  delighteth  to  work  without  measure, 
This  the  object  of  all  her  desires ; 

While  others  run  after  pleasure, 
To  work  hard  and  well  she  aspires. 

In  the  name  of  all  the  others 
On  this  point  I  a  little  must  pause, 

Full  oft  for  the  many  are  bothers, 
Of  which  thread  and  needle  are  cause. 

For  ourselves  let  us  not  go  too  fast, 
And  at  least  say  no  word  of  blame, 

Of  merits  the  day  is  not  past, — 
Good  embroidery  in  fine  point  earns  fame. 

And  therein  is  wisdom,  in  fact, 
For  in  all  points  what  does  not  the  man 

Who  gets  and  who  uses  with  tact 
The  very  best  canvas  he  can? 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    241 

In  winning  approval  from  all 
My  wife  in  all  points  does  succeed, 

Which  a  very  hard  work  we  would  call, 
Though  to  get  it  she  takes  but  small  heed. 


Of  her  kinsfolk  and  eke  of  her  sex, 
Her  talent,  that  brilliantly  shines, 

Makes  the  ornament  constant  and  complex, 
Because  taste  with  the  rest  she  conjoins. 

If  everything  please  in  her  person, 
It  is  so  in  her  work  and  her  mind ; 

There  is  none  wiser  or  better  than  this  one, 
For  her  first  fault  I  never  shall  find. 

In  spite  of  my  talent  for  satire, 
Her  point  of  my  chief  predilection, 

I  must  say,  to  be  frank  in  this  matter, 
Is  the  very  fine  point  of  perfection. 

As  the  Duke  of  Doudeauville  was  fond 
of  poetry,  and  found  nothing  comparable 
with  his  wife,  he  took  advantage  of  the 
slightest  circumstance  to  express  his  sen- 
timents to  her  in  verse.  Thus,  on  the 
least  of  St.  Augustine,  he  composed  and 
distributed  about  him  couplets  adapted  to 
16 


242    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

the  occasion,  where  each  found  his  compli- 
ment ready  for  him.  The  good  duchess 
lent  herself  gracefully  to  these  demonstra- 
tions, which  were  not  naturally  quite  to 
her  taste  ;  but  one  year  these  compositions 
were  multiplied  to  such  an  extent  that  from 
morning  till  night  she  had  the  gratification 
of  hearing  her  praises  sung  by  everybody 
who  encountered  her.  This  day  was  so 
painful  that  she  conjured  her  husband  not 
to  subject  her  to  such  a  penance  again ; 
and  he  then  decided  that  all  his  attentions 
of  this  kind  should  come  in  future  from 
the  mouths  of  the,  little  children,  who,  as 
she  advanced  in  age,  were  multiplied  about 
her. 

The  real  pleasure  of  this  generous  chate- 
laine was,  on  the  fete  days,  to  procure  some 
indulgence  for  the  poor  of  the  country. 
This  was  her  great  delight ;  she  could  only 
be  happy  in  the  happiness  of  others,  as  we 
shall  see  in  the  following  passage  :  — 

"  I  must  tell  you,  my  dear  friend,  that 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    243 

being  once  established  here,  I  should  be 
very  sorry  to  leave  the  place  ;  the  same 
reasons  which  have  attached  me  to  it  for 
many  years  exist  and  will  exist  until  my 
last  breath  ;  but  they  are  all  concentrated 
in  a  very  narrow  and  very  gloomy  place. 
For  the  rest  of  the  habitation,  it  has  be- 
come for  me  what  any  place  in  the  uni- 
verse would  be.  I  believe,  that  is  to  say, 
it  is  animated  only  by  the  more  or  less 
happiness  which  I  see  those  I  love  enjoy, 
for  my  heart  alone  is  not  dead  in  me  ;  this 
is  said  only  once  in  passing,  and  never  to 
be  alluded  to.  I  do  not  wish  to  think 
aloud  on  the  subject." 

This  dark  and  sombre  place  we  know 
already  ;  unable  to  get  there  as  often  as 
her  inclination  prompts,  the  good  duchess 
has  in  a  secluded  part  of  her  garden  a 
little  hermitage,  simple  and  solemn,  where 
she  loves  to  retire  ;  therefore,  when,  profit- 
ing by  the  permission  she  has  generously 
given,  the  inhabitants  of  Montmirail  come 


244    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

to  walk  under  the  magnificent  shade  trees 
of  the  park,  they  know  that  no  one  must 
force  his  way  through  a  certain  green  belt ; 
this  is  the  retreat  of  the  holy  duchess. 
There,  seated  on  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  she 
has  watched  the  ruins  of  Montlean  rise 
again  in  the  distance  ;  and  while  a  dwelling 
for  the  God  of  the  Eucharist  and  a  place 
of  repose  for  her  beloved  daughter  were 
preparing,  she  has  meditated  long  upon 
the  instability  of  the  things  of  earth. 
These  reflections,  while  they  incite  in  her 
the  desire  to  reach  the  end  of  her  exile, 
make  her  wish  more  ardently  for  the  per- 
fect accomplishment  of  the  Divine  Will. 

But  let  us  take  care  not  to  imagine 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  castle  and  their 
guests  had  anything  to  suffer  on  account 
of  this  charm  of  solitude  which  the  holy 
duchess  felt ;  nobody  did  the  honours  of  a 
friendly  hospitality  better  than  she ;  one 
was  sure  to  breathe  a  beneficent  air  in  the 
lands  of  Montmirail  in  every  respect.  If 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.  245 

one  was  always  edified  by  the  noble  and 
virtuous  attitude  of  the  mistress  of  the 
house;  if,  after  talking  with  her,  one  felt 
himself  nearer  to  God,  one  had  never  to 
fear  tedious  exhortations  ;  a  word,  an  im- 
pulse of  the  heart,  revealed  casually  the 
ardour  of  her  faith ;  but  she  did  not 
preach ;  only,  there  was  in  her  so  great 
compassion  for  all  suffering,  that  without 
any  direct  advance,  one  felt  impelled  to 
open  his  heart  to  her.  Then,  she  was  sure 
to  drop  a  word  which  one  could  not  for- 
get ;  he  came  back  to  her  as  to  a  vivify- 
ing spring.  The  young  Viscountess  de  la 
Rochefoucauld,  particularly,  enjoyed  and 
made  the  most  of  such  good  society.  In 
1806  Monsieur  Sosthenes  had  married  the 
only  daughter  of  Duke  Mathieu  de  Mont- 
morency.  "She  was,"  says  Monsieur  de 
Doudeauville,  "  more  adorned  by  her  sweet 
piety  than  by  the  beauties  of  her  person." 
Married  at  sixteen  years,  of  a  timid 
character,  she  was  happy  to  find  in  her 


246    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

mother-in-law  a  gentle  and  wise  adviser ; 
she  hid  nothing  from  her  and  told  her  her 
most  private  troubles  with  entire  confi- 
dence. The  good  duchess  loved  and  es- 
teemed her  much,  and  took  pleasure  in 
praising  her.  She  had  only  to  say  to  her, 
"  My  daughter,  it  is  a  duty  ! "  All  was 
ended,  no  more  objection,  repugnance 
ceased,  and  the  young  woman  gave  herself 
warmly  to  that  which  cost  her  most. 

A  close  friendship  linked  the  Dukes  of 
Doudeauville  and  Montmorency,  and  when 
the  latter,  in  1811,  was  banished  from  Paris 
for  having  visited  Madame  de  Stae'l,  who 
had  saved  his  life,  it  was  in  the  Castle  of 
Montmirail,  with  his  friend,  that  he  passed 
pleasantly  his  three  years  of  exile.  Ma- 
dame de  Montesquieu,  in  favour  with  Napo- 
leon, had  obtained  this  mitigation  of  his 
proscription.  She  was  then  governess  to 
the  King  of  Rome,  "  much  against  her 
will,"  says  her  brother-in-law.  It  was  upon 
Madame  de  Doudeauville  that  the  emperor 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    247 

had  first  cast  his  eye  to  bring  up  his  son, 
but  having  sounded  the  ground  prudently 
first,  he  saw  at  once  that  he  must  not  ex- 
pose himself  to  a  refusal,  and  he  made 
choice  of  Madame  de  Montesquieu.  Let 
us  borrow  from  the  memoirs  of  the  Duke 
of  Doudeauville  one  sketch  which  proves 
the  firmness  of  character  of  this  worthy 
sister  of  our  virtuous  duchess  :  — 

"The  Countess  of  Montesquiou  enjoyed 
great  credit  and  consideration  from  the 
head  of  state.  She  made  no  use  of  it  ex- 
cept to  be  helpful  to  others,  and  kind  to 
those  who  knew  her. 

"The  way  in  which  she  came  to  this 
place  is  curious  enough,  and  deserves  to 
be  related.  They  spoke  of  her  for  it,  but 
nothing  was  decided  upon.  She  was  at 
Trianon,  at  a  little  distance  from  Bona- 
parte. He  wished  only  seven  or  eight  per- 
sons at  his  table.  Not  expecting  to  be 
summoned,  she  had  begged  the  chamber- 
lain in  waiting  not  to  forget  her  two  dishes 


248   Mtdmme  de  U  RocJufoiuambL 

of  fish,  for  it  was  a  Friday;  bat  aflat 
NapoleoD  had  her  fold  that  she  was  to  dine 
with  him,  and  in  fact,  he  pot  her  at  his 


-  —  i.  -  -  ?>r'l    -~>~  -rT 


saw  with  grief  and 

'.'.-'.     ~  ~.  t.'r   ~  "i.5-     ~.  '.'..'.'.  7.  ^    7rr7'i-T 


ingneigfaboarlooiedatberand  said 

2L    ^VRQKOi  m     DQK  IDC    GOC&IQS9QD.    OK     HMV^ 
CtlSOCS   ttftJut  SDC  Udlu.    IdlQCSwCQ.  2QDDC3DP    OH 

the  imperial  table.    She  thought  that  her 

^_  *  ^5  *   ~~"i  ~  _!..  2.    1-2-^*1  zr     I  —  "3.7". 

priety ;  bat  she  ale,  all  alone;  the 

they  brought  her,  none  the  less.    Napo- 

kon  still  looked  at  her  and  said  nothing. 

~  Busybody  was  convinced  that  tins  act 

n  his 


Two  days  after  she  leteived  her 
scovcnness  to  the  Kin?  of 


7-t  z.-:.t:::  :: 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    249 

one  of  the  guests  at  this  dinner,  had  not 
the  same  courage.  He  said,  a  few  days 
after,  to  one  of  the  children  of  Madame  de 
Montesquiou,  '  I  admired  your  mother,  but 
did  not  dare  to  imitate  her,  though  I  hold 
the  same  principles.  She  showed  a  char- 
acter which  filled  me  with  shame  and 
envy.'" 

In  all  Napoleon's  court,  there  was  only 
Madame  de  Montesquiou  who  had  the  cour- 
age to  speak  frankly  to  him.  One  morn- 
ing, when  he  came  with  Berthier  to  pay  the 
young  prince  a  visit,  he  said,  taking  his 
hand,  — 

"  I  hope  it  will  know  how  to  give  a  sword 
thrust  some  day!" 

"  And  I  hope,"  said  the  governess,  "  that 
it  will  have  learned  first  how  to  scatter 
many  blessings." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

NAZARETH. 

WHEN  Madame  de  Doudeauville  saw  the 
different  works  established  at  Montlean 
prosper  in  the  hands  of  the  Sisters  of  Char- 
ity, her  indefatigable  zeal  projected  the 
creation  of  still  another :  not  far  from  the 
church,  she  had  reserved  to  herself  a  mod- 
est habitation  ;  she  brought  together,  there, 
a  few  nuns  whom  the  Revolution  had  scat- 
tered, and  she  made  for  them  a  little  board- 
ing-school, composed  for  the  greater  part 
of  children  of  good  families,  ruined  by  the 
misfortunes  of  the  times. 

Monsieur  Legris-Duval  was  their  first 
superior.  He  gave  them  in  writing,  not 
rules,  for  each  one  had  her  own,  but  very 
wise  principles  of  conduct,  designed  to 
establish  union  and  charity  among  them. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld,    251 

The  new  community  took  the  name  of  the 
Ladies  of  Peace. 

In  spite  of  the  diversity  of  minds  which 
must  exist  among  persons  of  totally  differ- 
ent orders,  the  house  acquired  a  good  repu- 
tation abroad,  and  under  the  direction  of 
the  excellent  Abbe  Legris-Duval,  the  pu- 
pils imbibed  principles  of  sound  piety. 

Like  Madame  de  Maintenon  formerly 
at  Saint  Cyr,  so  here  the  good  duchess  was 
the  soul  of  the  school,  and  she  impressed 
upon  the  education  the  simple  and  solid 
seal  of  her  strong  and  gentle  virtue,  in- 
spiring the  pupils  with  a  spirit  of  order,  of 
economy,  of  love  of  work,  with  the  senti- 
ment of  duty.  She  desired  to  prepare 
them  for  serious  women,  useful  and  pleas- 
ant in  the  family  circle,  capable  of  sacrifice 
and  of  influence  for  good. 

As  long  as  the  Abb6  Legris-Duval  lived, 
whose  forbearance  knew  no  bounds,  the 
community  seemed  to  be  on  good  terms 
with  one  another;  but  after  his  death,  each 


252    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

nun  wishing  to  make  her  primitive  rule  the 
predominant  one,  the  pleasant  relations 
came  to  an  end.  At  the  urgent  request  of 
the  good  duchess,  Monsieur  Frayssinous, 
and  after  him  Father  Roger,  tried  in  vain 
to  pacify  the  Ladies  of  Peace. 

These  two  men  of  large  experience, 
struck  with  the  wise  and  elevated  views  of 
Madame  de  Doudeauville,  and  despairing 
that  they  should  ever  see  her  attain  her 
ends  with  such  a  diversity  of  minds,  ad- 
vised her  not  to  permit  the  community  to 
extend,  but  rather  to  let  it  die  out  grad- 
ually. 

The  superior,  who  had  asked  for  author- 
ity to  make  a  new  building,  and  was  dis- 
pleased at  being  refused,  secretly  planned 
her  departure,  and  passed  over  into  a  neigh- 
bouring diocese  with  her  little  colony. 

This  retreat,  which  was  not  to  be  re- 
gretted, caused  the  good  duchess,  notwith- 
standing, great  embarrassment,  —  the  ordi- 
nary signal  for  providential  succour.  She 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    253 

might  have  placed  her  young  prot6ge"es  in 
another  establishment  simply,  and  have 
given  the  house  at  Montl6an  up  to  some 
other  purpose ;  but  it  seemed  to  her  that 
the  good  God  asked  the  continuation  of 
this  work.  She  had  just  married  her  grand- 
daughter, Mademoiselle  de  Rastignac,  to 
the  Count  of  Rochefoucauld,  and  being 
thus  left  without  a  child  about  her,  she 
was  very  fond  of  going  to  see  her  little 
scholars.  Then,  from  this  tomb  where  she 
sought  her  pious  inspirations,  she  fancied 
she  could  hear  a  pressing  invitation  to  per- 
petuate, as  far  as  possible,  her  mission  to 
the  young. 

This  meditative  soul,  which  learned  a 
lesson  from  everything,  and  which  passed 
from  reflection  to  practice,  always  increas- 
ing its  circle  of  well-doing  and  felt  a  need 
to  associate  itself  with  the  movement  of 
regeneration  which  was  everywhere  man- 
ifested. Knowing  that  one  must  build 
the  edifice  from  the  foundation,  she  was 


254    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

rejoiced  at  the  enthusiasm  with  which 
some  of  the  old  and  some  of  the  new  re- 
ligious bodies  gave  themselves  up  to  the 
work  of  the  education  of  young  girls  ;  but 
for  this  important  task  she  had  her  own 
idea,  her  private  thoughts,  the  fruit  of  ex- 
perience. 

If,  as  she  had  said  to  her  daughter,  that 
fallen  grandeur,  those  ruined  fortunes,  that 
complete  overthrow  which  she  had  wit- 
nessed, induced  her  to  exclaim,  "  God  only 
is  stable  ! "  she  drew  from  the  uncertainty 
of  the  times  and  of  things  this  other  con- 
clusion :  the  necessity  of  strengthening  the 
character,  of  preparing  a  young  girl  early 
in  life  to  endure  reverses,  not  only  in  a 
spirit  of  faith,  but  also  with  intelligent  and 
practical  courage.  She  wished  her  to  be 
initiated  little  by  little,  as  far  as  her  age 
allowed,  into  the  details  of  domestic  life,  so 
that  if  some  day  the  young  girl  should 
find  herself  obliged  to  serve  herself,  and  to 
come  to  the  aid  of  her  people,  she  would 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    255 

not  feel  herself  demeaned,  and  would  not 
be  strange  to  the  work  which  Holy  Scrip- 
ture has  so  highly  praised. 

To  attain  this  end,  Madame  de  Dou- 
deauville  wished  to  offer,  to  the  families 
whom  modern  luxury  terrified,  establish- 
ments more  apart  from  the  great  world, 
where,  in  giving  complete  and  distinguished 
instruction  to  their  children,  the  special 
care  should  be  to  bring  them  up  in  antique 
and  noble  simplicity,  to  inspire  them  with 
serious  tastes,  to  give  them  the  habit  of 
work,  and  in  a  word  to  fit  them  for  good 
mothers  of  families  and  wise  heads  of 
houses. 

To  these  principles  of  education  the 
pious  duchess  joined  a  strict  estimate  of 
the  religious  life,  which  she  wished  to  be 
perfect  in  its  spirit,  and  very  simple  in  ex- 
terior practice. 

We  remember  with  what  ardour  she 
sighed  for  the  cloister  in  childhood  and  in 
youth.  She  wished  to  give  herself  up  en- 


256    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

tirely.  God,  while  accepting  her  offering, 
had  kept  her  still  in  the  world,  and  fixed 
her  there  against  all  her  inclinations,  but 
He  did  not  leave  sterile  the  first  and  holy 
desire  of  His  generous  servant.  He  pre- 
destined and  prepared  her  a  long  time 
back  to  found  a  new  community  ;  whilst 
grace  made  to  flourish  in  this  elect  soul 
the  humble  and  lovely  virtues  of  which  the 
Holy  Family  has  given  us  the  example  in 
the  little  hamlet  of  Nazareth,  Providence 
allowed  her  to  face  all  the  difficulties  of 
life,  in  order  to  offer  to  the  young  girls 
whose  education  filled  her  mind,  an  ac- 
complished model  of  what  they  were  to  be 
for  the  family  and  for  society. 

Father  Roger,  who  was  endowed  with 
a  particular  talent  for  discerning  divine 
inspiration,  thought  to  recognize  it  clearly 
when  the  holy  duchess  confided  to  him  her 
plan  of  a  foundation.  Without  foreseeing 
how  she  would  be  able  to  accomplish  it,  he 
advised  her  to  preserve  her  little  school. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    257 

Then  she  made  a  real  sacrifice  in  separat- 
ing herself  for  the  time  from  Mademoiselle 
Therese,  her  reader  and  secretary,  in  order 
that  she  might  take  the  direction  of  the 
few  boarders  left  by  the  Ladies  of  Peace, 
until  God  manifested  His  will. 

The  little  building  was  not  to  be  made 
from  the  old  stones  ;  the  vigorous  chisel  of 
Father  Roger  was  to  work  on  new  stones. 
Let  us  say  a  word  about  this  holy  religious, 
sent  by  Providence  to  the  venerable  found- 
ress to  be  the  soul  of  the  work  which  she 
was  planning. 

Father  Roger,  born  at  Coutances,  in  ' 
1763,  studied  at  Paris  with  application  and 
piety,  and  received  holy  orders  there.  Dur- 
ing the  revolutionary  storm  he  exiled  him- 
self in  Germany,  where  some  young  eccle- 
siastics of  his  acquaintance  made  him  enter 
the  society  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  which  became  later  that  of  the 
Fathers  of  Faith. 

When,  towards  1800,  his  superiors  sent 
17 


258    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

him  back  to  France,  Lyons  opened  a  great 
field  for  his  talents  and  zeal.  He  filled 
the  little  city  with  fervent  associations, 
which,  imbued  with  his  zeal,  continue 
to  give  themselves  to  works  of  mercy  in 
the  obscurity  of  humble  and  silent  devo- 
tion. 

In  1808  a  new  storm  having  driven  the 
holy  missionary  back  to  his  natal  city,  he 
raised  from  its  ruins,  and  wisely  governed 
the  seminary  of  Coutances  ;  but  as  soon 
as  the  Company  of  Jesus  was  reestablished, 
in  1814,  he  abandoned  his  post,  and  has- 
tened to  Paris  to  solicit  admission.  After 
his  first  vows,  he  discharged  the  important 
function  of  Novice  Master ;  then  for  twelve 
years,  from  1818  to  1830,  while  established 
in  Paris,  he  gave  himself  with  all  the  ardour 
of  his  zeal  to  the  exercise  of  the  holy  min- 
istry, embracing  in  his  immense  charity  all 
classes  of  society.  Following  the  counsel 
of  the  apostle,  he  made  himself  all  things 
to  all  men,  if  he  might  gain  them  for  Jesus 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    259 

Christ.  The  poor,  especially  they  of  the 
Faubourg  Saint  Marceau,  were  the  particu- 
lar objects  of  his  favour.  His  compassion- 
ate heart  could  not  approach  distress  with- 
out feeling  the  yearning  to  relieve  it,  and 
seeking  the  means  to  do  it.  "He  was," 
says  Father  Guidee,  "  a  man  of  lively  and 
active  faith,  excellent  in  counsel ;  a  con- 
summate director  in  the  road  to  God ; 
always  full  of  simplicity  and  directness ; 
attracting,  charming  all  who  approached 
him,  by  his  cheery  and  affable  demeanour, 
and  gaining  all  hearts  by  his  obliging  kind- 
ness." 

Let  us  add  to  these  outlines  of  exact 
truth,  the  witness  of  a  priest  who  had 
known  him  well :  — 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  can  tell  you  more 
than  you  already  know  concerning  good 
Father  Roger.  I  shall  always  recall  with 
emotion  his  wise  counsels,  and  shall  ever 
bless  divine  Providence  for  having  brought 
me  into  communication  with  him 


260    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

During  my  retreats  he  said  things  to  me 
that  were  really  flashes  of  fire. 

"  I  think  I  can  see  him  now  arrive  in  the 
evening  at  my  house,  after  a  fatiguing  day ; 
giving  himself  up  readily  to  his  natural 
gayety,  he  would  say  a  kind  word  to  warm 
the  heart  and  put  one  at  ease;  then  he 
would  seat  himself  in  his  easy-chair,  and 
when  there,  would  talk  to  me  of  the  good 
God  with  a  faith,  simplicity,  and  love  which 
I  have  never  found  in  any  other.  What 
faith  it  was  !  .  .  .  .  If  Saint  Paul  would 
know  only  the  cross,  Father  Roger  would 
know  only  his  Credo.  What  simplicity  ! 
....  To  go  straight  to  God  by  the  short- 
est road,  that  was  his  maxim.  What  love 
for  Jesus !  .  .  .  .  What  clear  intelligence 
of  the  mysteries  !  .  .  .  .  How  often  have 
I  seen  him  weep  in  speaking  of  that  Jesus 
whom  he  loved  so  well !  .  .  .  .  How 
many  times  have  I  thrown  myself  at  the 
foot  of  my  crucifix  after  talking  with  him. 
Then,  what  a  holy  liberty  he  took  in  telling 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    261 

the  great  and  the  world's  people,  not  the 
truth  which  flatters,  but  that  which  illu- 
mines !  What  tact  in  stealing  into  a 
heart  in  order  to  open  it  and  gain  it  for 
Jesus  Christ ! 

"With  his  naturally  ardent  and  active 
character,  the  holy  man  could  not  have 
attained  to  this  perfect  affability,  to  this 
even  and  amiable  kind-heartedness  which 
all  admired,  without  many  efforts.  One 
found  him  always  ready  to  listen,  to  say 
the  word  which  instructs,  which  comforts 
or  reassures.  Nothing  can  give  an  idea  of 
the  tone  of  his  voice  in  speaking  of  the 
loving  kindness  of  our  Lord.  I  cannot  for- 
get the  expressiveness  with  which  he  said 
to  a  person  troubled  by  excessive  fear  at 
the  approach  of  her  communion  :  '  But,  my 
good  daughter,  what  has  Jesus  done,  that 
you  should  fear  Him  so  much  ? ' 

"  This  compassion  for  those  who  suffer, 
this  longing  to  come  to  their  aid,  made 
him  beloved  by  all.  Who  could  ever  say 


262    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

how  much  this  good  father  was  loved  and 
revered  by  the  working  class,  by  children, 
and  the  poor  ? " 

So  soon  as  the  pious  duchess  learned  to 
know  Father  Roger,  she  put  herself  un- 
der his  guidance ;  the  savour  of  his  words 
was  pleasant  to  her  soul  —  for  those  words 
which  escaped  from  a  heart  burning  with 
a  love  of  God,  were  full  of  strength  and 
unction.  This  kind  of  spirituality  answered 
to  the  inclination  she  had  always  had  for 
the  hidden  life ;  hence  she  consulted  this 
wise  director  in  all  her  works,  and  he,  on 
his  side,  held  his  penitent  in  particular 
esteem. 

By  a  providential  coincidence,  at  about 
the  same  time  when  the  Duchess  of  Dou- 
deauville  placed  herself  under  the  direction 
of  Father  Roger,  she  entered  also  into  so- 
cial relations  and  into  association  in  good 
works  with  Mademoiselle  Elisa  Rollat, 
who  was  destined  to  be  the  first  superior 
of  Nazareth.  These  ladies  became  very 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    263 

closely  attached.  With  a  great  difference 
of  character,  they  had  marked  features  of 
resemblance  :  an  ardent  and  generous  piety, 
the  love  of  duty,  the  desire  of  perfection, 
zeal  for  good ;  each  sought  the  other  with 
equal  eagerness.  But  the  perfect  tact  of 
Mademoiselle  lilisa  Rollat  always  recog- 
nized, even  in  the  closest  intimacy,  the 
proper  distinction  of  age  and  position. 
She  had  for  the  duchess  a  deference  full 
of  veneration.  On  the  other  hand  the  pious 
duchess,  who  silently  admired  her,  showed 
her  the  fullest  confidence ;  she  loved  the 
frank  gayety,  under  which  a  very  serious 
mind  was  hidden.  With  Mademoiselle  ^li- 
sa, she  allowed  her  faith  and  piety  to  speak 
without  constraint,  sure  of  finding  a  com- 
plete conformity  of  sentiment.  When  these 
ladies  left  Paris  for  the  country,  a  continu- 
ous correspondence  supplied  the  place  of 
their  conversations.  In  this  simple  free- 
dom of  speech,  Madame  de  Doudeauville 
lets  the  secret  of  her  humble  and  strong 


264    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

virtue  sometimes  slip  out.  A  few  passages 
from  her  letters  will  help  us  to  know  her 
more  fully. 

"  I  leave  on  Thursday.  Sad  for  think- 
ing that  I  am  going  far  from  the  resources 
which  my  weakness  needs.  But  God  is 
everywhere,  and  He  lets  Himself  be  found 
when  one  seeks  Him  purely  and  simply  ; 
ask  for  me  that  I  may  meet  Him.  May 
He  alone  be  our  study ;  may  His  Divine 
Will  find  no  obstacle  in  our  souls ;  or  at 
least  may  His  love  triumph  over  them. 
These,  dear  filisa,  are  the  prayers  that  I 
make  for  you,  and  whose  fulfilment  I  beg 
you  to  petition  for  me  ;  that  will  be  more 
difficult,  but  difficulties  do  not  dishearten 
me. 

"  Adieu !  I  miss  your  visits  and  read- 
ings, much  ;  you  have  inspired  me  with 
a  real  friendship,  of  that  kind  which  life 
does  not  end." 

Ten  days  after,  she  sends  her  news  of 
herself.  "  Here  I  am  in  the  most  profound 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    265 

solitude.  I  find  myself  well  thus,  and  too 
much  to  my  taste.  My  character  being 
independent,  that  which  brings  me  into 
subjection  at  every  moment  must  be  more 
useful  for  me,  and  perhaps  it  may  be  only 
on  account  of  my  tendency  to  indepen- 
dence that  I  love  solitude  ;  at  least,  I  enjoy 
it  when  God  sends  it  to  me  ;  I  would  like 
to  make  a  better  use  of  it,  but  I  believe  I 
ought  never  to  seek  it,  for  it  makes  me  too 
happy. 

"  The  correspondence  of  Ze"naide  is 
charming  ;  her  children  are  delightful. 
Little  Alfred  pronounced  the  name  of  God 
yesterday  for  the  first  time. 

"  My  health  has  been  poor  for  a  fortnight, 
so  that  I  am  positively  stupid.  God  wills 
it,  and  I  will  it  with  Him.  Let  us  love, 
dear  filisa,  this  Divine  Will,  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  which  our  good  Master  came 
on  earth. 

"  Adieu.  It  is  at  the  foot  of  the  cross 
that  I  like  to  find  myself  with  you.  I  have, 


266    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

however,  the  weakness  to  wish  that  you 
may  not  have  crosses  too  painful  to  bear." 

Father  Roger  was  still  another  tie  be- 
tween these  two  souls ;  and  hence,  after  a 
short  stay  which  he  made  at  Montmirail, 
the  good  duchess  writes  to  her  friend, — 

"I  think,  dear  filisa,  that  I  shall  give 
you  pleasure  in  sending  you  news  of  the 
person  who  interests  you  ;  his  health  is 
better  since  he  reached  here.  People  think 
he  has  much  mind,  eloquence,  and  eleva- 
tion, and  withal  charming  simplicity.  My 
son  loves  him  extravagantly.  Monsieur  de 
Doudeauville  fancies  him  much,  and  my 
daughter-in-law  appeals  to  him  and  wishes 
that  he  might  be  here  whenever  she  is. 
He  has  had  a  great  success,  then,  in  our 
family  circle,  such  as  holiness  and  virtue 
will  always  have.  He  is  so  good,  one  finds 
there  is  so  much  to  be  gained  from  him  ! 
His  lively  faith  has  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion on  me. 

"  You   sent  us  some  very  nice  hymns  ; 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    267 

The  Cross,  Solitude,  The  Blessed  Virgin, 
The  Love  of  God,  have  been  sung  in  the 
parlour  several  times,  to  the  satisfaction  of 
all.  If  you  could  compose  one  on  faith,  it 
would  give  great  pleasure  to  my  daughter- 
in-law,  and  to  me  also. 

"  Let  us  seek  God,  dear  filisa ;  let  us 
seek  Him  purely.  Let  us  love  Him  with 
all  the  capacity  He  has  given  us  to  love 
Him  with.  Let  us  love  Him  in  His  crea- 
tures, but  let  it  be  for  Him.  Let  us  seek 
the  cross,  humiliations.  Let  us  give  our- 
selves up  to  His  good  pleasure,  and  let  us 
abide  in  peace.  This  is  what  I  desire  for 
you  as  for  myself,  and  I  see,  without  jeal- 
ousy, that  you  will  arrive  at  it  before  I 
shall. 

"  Since  you  want  me  to  tell  you  about 
my  health,  I  will  say  that  it  is  not  any  too 
good,  and  I  may  be  obliged  to  give  up  to 
it  for  two  or  three  days.  To  do  enough 
without  doing  too  much,  is  a  thing  almost 
impossible  for  me  to  achieve,  with  my  char- 
acter. 


268    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"  Adieu,  dear  filisa  ;  I  always  forget  my- 
self when  I  am  chatting  with  you.  It  is 
one  proof  the  more  that  I  am  not  morti- 
fied, that  I  seek  my  enjoyment ;  but  that  is 
allowed  us,  you  know  ;  we  must  get  benefit 
from-  it,  if  in  our  pleasures  we  thank  Him 
who  has  united  our  hearts  in  His  love." 

When  the  Ladies  of  Peace  went  away, 
the  good  duchess  expresses  her  disappoint- 
ment to  Mademoiselle  Iilisa,  but,  as  always, 
her  faith  prevails  over  every  other  senti- 
ment. 

"  Yesterday  I  received  a  letter  from  Ma- 
dame de  Saint  Ambroise,  who  informs  me, 
after  a  six  months'  silence,  that  all  her  little 

colony  are  going  to  M .  They  are 

going  there  to  found  a  house,  with  the  sav- 
ings of  seventeen  years ;  and  mine  stands 
with  its  four  walls,  and  the  poor  children 
without  a  mistress.  May  God  be  praised  ! 
....  Thank  Him  for  this  new  cross,  and 
ask  Him  to  make  us  to  know  His  will. 
There  are  painful  things  in  connection  with 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    269 

all  this, —  many  I  feel  very  sensibly  ;  but 
since  I  have  done  nothing  to  bring  about 
this  unfortunate  result,  I  look  upon  it  as  a 
permission  of  Heaven.  I  adore,  and  hold 
my  peace."  A  little  while  after,  her  sadness 
changed  to  joy  ;  the  pious  duchess  foresaw 
that  her  friend  might  some  day  become  the 
foundation-stone  of  which  she  had  need. 

"  Dear  ^lisa,  your  last  letter,  so  good,  so 
amiable  and  touching,  gives  me  much  to 
think  about ;  perhaps  my  imagination  goes 
too  fast  and  too  far ;  but,  however  that 
may  be,  it  gives  me  hopes,  which,  if  they 
are  ever  realized,  will  crown  my  wishes.  I 
should  be  all  the  happier,  because  I  have 
asked  for  nothing,  and  the  will  of  God 
would  then  begin  to  manifest  itself  in  fa- 
vour of  an  enterprise  which  till  now  has 
seemed  a  foolishness." 

The  hope  is  confirmed  ;  the  project  of 
the  foundation  becomes  a  common  work. 
Being  too  much  occupied  to  write  himself, 
Father  Roger  sends  his  counsel  and  sug- 


270   Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

gestions  through  Mademoiselle  filisa  to  the 
holy  founder.  The  commission  is  a  deli- 
cate one,  but  the  tact  of  the  one  and  the 
virtue  of  the  other  smooth  all  difficul- 
ties. 

"  Once  for  all,  don't  be  uneasy,  dear 
filisa ;  nothing  that  you  say  can  trouble  me. 
I  know  your  motives  too  well ;  moreover,  it 
is  not  my  nature  to  attach  too  much  im- 
portance to  little  things  ;  and  then,  when  I 
am  sure  of  a  person,  he  has  the  right  to 
say  anything  to  rne.  I  desire  in  your 
correspondence  confidence,  frankness,  and 
simplicity.  You  satisfy  me  in  all  these 
points,  and  amuse  me  besides  by  your  gay- 
ety.  Why,  then,  do  you  take  such  precau- 
tions about  telling  me  that  in  Father  Ro- 
ger's opinion  I  am  managing  badly  with 

Mademoiselle  C ?    The  contrary  would 

surprise  me  ;  but  for  me  to  be  making 
a  mistake  is  so  natural !  .  .  .  .  Never  fear 
giving  me  pain  on  such  an  occasion  as 
this."  ....  Always  ready  to  find  edifica- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    271 

tion  in,  and  to  render  justice  to  true  de- 
votion, Madame  de  Doudeauville,  happy  in 
seeing  at  the  work  a  future  member  of  the 
community  of  Nazareth,  expresses  her  joy 
to  Mademoiselle  lilisa. 

"I  feel  the  need  of  telling  you  all  my 
friendship  for  you,  from  time  to  time,  and 
yield  yet  more  to  the  necessity  of  speaking 
to  you  of  our  business  matters. 

"  Mademoiselle  Mouroux  doubtless  keeps 
you  informed  of  the  good  order  of  the 
house,  but  what  she  is  certain  not  to  have 
spoken  to  you  about,  is  the  perfect  way  in 
which  she  acquits  herself  in  her  new  po- 
sition. She  is  overburdened,  I  am  sure, 
for  she  has  the  care  of  everything,  and  yet 
does  not  look  ,so  very  busy ;  there  is  al- 
ways the  same  serenity.  I  assure  you 
that  she  is  very  virtuous  ;  the  more  one 
knows  her,  the  more  precious  qualities  one 
discovers  in  her,  and  the  more  heartily  one 
thanks  Heaven  for  having  sent  her  to  us. 
She  is  an  angel  whom  God  sustains,  and 


272    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

who  does  the  children  great  good.  But  be 
quite  easy  in  your  mind,  she  has  no  sus- 
picion of  my  opinion  of  her  ;  I  intended 
this  should  be  so,  but,  moreover,  Father 
Roger  also  recommended  it  strongly." 

These  letters  are  dated  1820  to  1821. 
Whilst  Providence  prepares  the  way  for 
Mademoiselle  Rollat,  and  disposes  every- 
thing for  the  foundation  of  Nazareth,  the 
holy  duchess  is  again  fastened  to  the  cross. 
For  some  time  her  sight  had  been  sensibly 
failing  ;  one  day  when  she  was  reading  her 
prayers  in  the  chapel  at  Montlean,  it 
had  seemed  to  her  as  if  a  veil  were  passed 
before  her  eyes  ;  the  characters  of  the  book 
getting  confused,  she  shut  it,  made  her 
sacrifice,  accepted  all  its  consequences,  and 
appeared  amid  her  family  neither  troubled 
nor  afflicted  by  it.  For  two  years  she 
had  to  deny  herself  all  reading,  and  could 
write  only  with  great  precaution.  Having 
become  totally  blind  in  1821,  in  spite  of 
the  urgency  of  her  husband  she  did  not 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    273 

wish  the  operation  for  cataract  to  take 
place;  this  was  the  way  God  had  taken, 
she  said,  to  withdraw  her  from  the  things 
of  this  world.  What  she  did  not  say,  but 
what  she  understood  very  well,  was,  that 
blindness,  while  keeping  her  constantly  de- 
pendent, would  also  necessitate  the  per- 
petual sacrifice  of  her  own  will.  What  an 
exercise  of  patience  for  an  active  person, 
always  accustomed  to  direct  all  the  affairs 
of  her  house  ! 

But  in  seeing  her  always  serene,  one 
would  not  suspect  that  it  was  a  trial  to  her 
to  ask,  to  wait  for  a  guide  ;  she  is  so  happy 
to  do  the  will  of  the  Master,  and  to  have 
a  shadow  of  likeness  to  Him  !  Were  the 
divine  eyes  not  veiled  by  the  bandage  on 
the  day  of  the  Passion  ?.'...  It  is  at 
this  moment,  when,  more  than  ever,  she 
needs  her  secretary  and  confidante,  that  she 
deprives  herself  of  her  services  for  the 
good  of  the  little  school  at  Montlean. 
Without  laying  any  stress  upon  what  must 
18 


2  74    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

have  inconvenienced  her,  she  is  content  to 
write  to  Mademoiselle  Elisa  :  — 

"  I  shall  miss  Therese  on  account  of  my 
blindness,  but  one  must  not  count  his 
sacrifices." 

This  little  foundation  has  become  the 
work  of  her  heart.  She  occupies  herself 
very  much  with  it,  while  being  entirely  sub- 
missive to  what  God  shall  decide.  Her 
purity  of  intention  is  always  so  perfect 
that,  in  spite  of  her  desire  to  attach  to  her- 
self capable  persons,  she  writes  :  — 

"  Mademoiselle  C has  taken  a  great 

friendship  for  me;  we  have  passed  eight 
days  together.  I  have  discovered  sundry 
good  qualities  in  her  ;  she  might  be  very 
useful  to  us,  and  as  she  has  grown  fond  of 
me,  she  seemed  to  regret  her  first  refusal. 
I  saw  very  well  that  she  wished  to  bring 
about  my  saying,  'You  would  give  me 
pleasure  if  you  were  to  remain/  Not 
finding  sufficient  ground  for  bringing  God's 
blessing  upon  it,  I  let  her  go. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    275 

"And  here  we  are  in  great  embarrass- 
ment. In  the  eyes  of  reason,  we  are  doing 
many  inconsistent  things,  but  how  good  it 
is  to  put  this  aside  sometimes,  —  this  hu- 
man reason  !  .  .  .  .  Monsieur  Roger  has 
assured  me  that  it  must  needs  be  that  peo- 
ple should  ridicule  us." 

In  1822  Mademoiselle  filisa  Rollat  find- 
ing herself  at  liberty,  the  community  at 
Montlean  began  to  get  into  shape.  It 
would  be  an  error  to  consider  the  holy 
duchess  as  a  simple  temporal  founder  of 
this  little  society  ;  full  of  the  spirit  with 
which  she  desired  to  see  it  animated,  she 
constantly  practised  the  virtues  which  were 
to  distinguish  the  nuns  of  Nazareth.  If 
Father  Roger,  overpowered  with  work  and 
charged  with  important  labours,  gives  all 
his  care,  and  devotes  long  hours  to  these 
few  persons,  joined  together  to  imitate  the 
laborious  and  hidden  life  of  the  Holy  Fam- 
ily, it  is  that  he  has  been  struck  by  the 
living  light  diffused  in  a  soul,  whose  holi- 


276    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

ness  he  admires  so  greatly  as  to  exclaim : 
"  I  really  do  not  know  how  God  will  man- 
age to  make  her  pass  twenty-four  hours  in 
purgatory ! " 

He  is  astonished,  with  reason,  to  find 
in  a  woman  of  the  world  such  just  ideas 
of  the  religious  vocation,  and  these  are 
not  general  notions ;  she  has  her  private 
thoughts,  her  project ;  though  the  exterior 
plan  is  not  designed,  she  sees  clearly  the 
end  to  be  attained  and  the  kind  of  perfec- 
tion ;  one  would  say  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
had  been  long  preparing  her  for  it,  since 
in  her  meditations  she  has  always  felt  her- 
self drawn  to  contemplate  the  hidden  life 
of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  She  had  spoken  of 
it  so  much  with  her  children  and  grand- 
children that  Mademoiselle  Zdnaide,  cer- 
tain of  pleasing  her,  had  had  the  thought- 
fulness  to  offer  her  as  a  specimen  of  her 
first  work  a  picture  of  the  Holy  Family, 
copied  after  Caracci.  In  truth,  another  Di- 
vine Mystery  had  also  great  charm  for  the 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    277 

pious  duchess  ;  she  went  alternately  from 
Jesus  the  child  of  Nazareth,  to  Jesus  on  the 
Cross,  and  she  would  have  liked  to  join  in 
outward  form  what  harmonized  so  well  in 
her  own  soul ;  but  as  it  was  to  be  a  house 
for  education,  the  name  of  Nazareth  had 
the  preference,  —  Nazareth  at  the  foot  of 
the  Cross,  having  the  Cross  for  the  founda- 
tion, the  cradle  and  support. 

Finding,  then,  in  the  holy  founder  every 
sort  of  helpfulness,  at  Montle"an  they  are 
not  content  with  receiving  her  with  all 
respect  and  gratitude,  but  they  consult  her 
on  every  point,  and  initiate  her  in  all  the 
details  ;  she  is  called  upon  to  examine  sub- 
jects, to  pronounce  upon  difficult  cases,  and 
she  treats  each  question  with  as  much  wis- 
dom as  humility. 

She  knows  the  religious  and  the  pupils  ; 
she  watches  the  progress  of  her  little  pro- 
tegees, takes  much  interest  about  their  fu- 
ture, and  tries  to  make  one  for  them  ;  she 
is  a  mother  and  a  saint  for  all  the  children 
of  Nazareth. 


278    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

On  the  holidays  she  comes,  full  of  friend- 
liness, to  encourage  their  games,  and  to 
preside  over  their  little  literary  meetings. 
Her  gentle  gravity  is  never  a  restraint,  for 
nobody  knows  better,  that  childhood  needs 
a  full  liberty  of  expression. 

She  had  inspired  her  husband  with  the 
same  feelings  of  interest  and  affection  for 
the  new  community.  Both  of  them  agree- 
ing that  a  house  of  education  should  not 
be  placed  next  door  to  a  hospital,  and  that 
the  chapel  should  not  be  common  to  the 
pupils  and  the  patients,  they  had  made 
fresh  sacrifices  to  transfer  the  sisters  of 
charity  to  Montmirail,  in  order  to  leave  to 
Nazareth  the  buildings  and  all  the  depen- 
dencies of  the  ancient  priory.  To  this  do- 
nation their  zeal  for  religious  worship  had 
induced  them  to  add  a  government  an- 
nuity, for  the  support  of  the  church. 

The  relations  of  the  community  with 
the  Duke  of  Doudeauville  were  as  simple 
as  they  were  pleasant.  He  felt  as  much 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    279 

interest  in  the  prosperity  of  the  establish- 
ment as  his  wife,1  and  seized  every  occa- 
sion to  testify  to  Mademoiselle  Rollat  his 
good  will  and  devotion.  He  encouraged 
the  studies,  distributed  the  prizes,  and  pro- 
vided amusements  for  the  pupils.  Thus, 
whenever  the  feast  of  Saint  Augustine 
came  round,  he  did  them  the  honours  of 
a  grand  lunch,  with  that  perfect  urbanity 
which  distinguished  him  until  the  end  of  his 
days.  His  presence  and  protection  never 
caused  the  smallest  embarrassment,  for,  in 
his  respect  for  the  religious  rule,  he  would 
inquire  the  convenient  time,  would  arrive 
on  the  instant,  and  had  for  every  occasion 
the  appropriate  graciousness  which  doubles 
the  value  of  a  service.  The  good  duchess 
was  happy  in  seeing  his  interest  in  her 

1  The  details  of  the  community  and  the  boarding- 
school  of  Nazareth  are  naturally  reserved  for  the  life 
of  the  Reverend  Mother  Rollat,  the  first  superior  of  the 
society,  which  will  be  a  separate  work,  a  sort  of  continu- 
ation and  supplement  of  this. 


280    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

community,  and  he,  on  his  side,  delighted 
to  give  his  wife  this  sweet  satisfaction. 

It  was  especially  in  times  of  difficulty 
that  the  generous  founder  came  to  the  aid 
of  Nazareth.  When,  in  1830,  Father  Ro- 
ger, obliged  to  take  up  the  road  of  exile, 
trembles  for  the  fate  of  this  little  religious 
family,  which  the  Revolution  has  deprived 
of  all  its  resources,  the  good  duchess  ap- 
pears to  him  as  his  real  Providence.  He 
writes  to  her  and  renews  his  thanks  more 
than  his  charges. 

"  MADAME  LA  DUCHESSE,  —  At  Lyons 
I  heard  of  the  sad  days  of  Paris  ;  all  my 
anxiety  is  for  you,  and  for  my  dear  sister 
Rollat,  of  whom  I  eagerly  desire  tidings. 

"  Oh,  how  fortunate  one  is  at  this  time 
to  have  a  crucifix ;  to  know,  as  you  have 
known  for  long,  how  to  read  the  ineffable 
book  and  to  find  there  a  sovereign  rem- 
edy for  so  great  hardships,  sorrows,  and 
afflictions,  which  plunge  the  soul  into  an 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    281 

ocean  of  bitterness  !  Happy  she  who  lives 
by  faith,  and  who,  peacefully  occupied  by 
domestic  matters,  leaves  to  God  the  care  of 
directing  for  His  glory  the  divers  events 
which  agitate  governments.  She  lives  in 
peace  amid  convulsions,  and  finds  her  re- 
pose in  the  accomplishment  of  the  divine 
will.  The  Lord,  always  good  and  full  of 
pity,  will  preserve  under  the  wings  of  His 
Providence  the  poor  little  creature,  who  in 
her  anxiety  and  alarm  looks  upon  herself 
as  lost,  and  yet  wishes  to  have  no  other 
resource  and  asylum  than  the  divine  heart 
of  Jesus.  How  well  I  love  to  see  these 
amiable  sentiments,  which  you  share  so 
fully  with  her,  in  my  good  sister,  and  how 
happy  I  should  be  if  I  might  take  part  in 
your  conversations  !  Be  assured,  madam, 
that  I  am  in  heart  in  the  very  midst  of  you 
all,  and  that  I  do  not  cease  to  present  you 
both  to  the  Lord." 

When  the  terrible  scourge  of  1832  makes 


282    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

its  appearance,  the  good  father  reassures 
and  strengthens  them. 

"  I  know  your  feeling,  madam,  enough 
to  be  persuaded  that  even  amid  epidemic 
disease  you  will  lose  neither  your  peace  of 
soul  nor  repose  of  heart.  You  are  too  re- 
signed to  the  will  of  God  to  wish  anything 
different  from  that  which  He  wills.  Be- 
sides, He  does  not  need  the  cholera  to  take 
from  us  a  life  which  belongs  to  Him,  and  of 
which  He  is  master.  Let  us  live  peacefully 
and  without  anxiety.  Say  this,  please,  to 
Mademoiselle  Rollat ;  I  do  not  wish  that 
any  one  should  be  able  to  offer  to  one  of 
my  daughters  the  reproach  which  our  Lord 
addressed  to  Saint  Peter  :  '  O  thou  of  little 
faith,  wherefore  dost  thou  doubt  ? ' 

"  Give  yourselves  up  to  Him  ;  and  above 
all  put  no  faith  in  the  multitude  of  prophe- 
cies which  agitate  the  mind,  excite  the  im- 
agination, and  prevent  each  one  from  doing 
what  God  asks  of  him. 

"  May  the  Lord  preserve  you  long,  mad- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    283 

am,  for  the  happiness  of  your  own  family 
and  of  that  which  you  have  adopted  ;  may 
He  give  me  the  blessing  to  see  you  again, 
and  to  continue  with  you  the  excellent 
work  which  we  have  undertaken." 

But  alarm  quickly  fills  the  father's  heart, 
and  he  who  has  reassured  and  comforted, 
has  need  to  be  consoled  in  his  turn:  — 

"  Since  I  wrote  to  you,  Madame  la 
Duchesse,  I  feel  an  always  increasing  anx- 
iety, and  want  extremely  to  get  news  of 
you,  of  your  excellent  family,  and  of  our 
dear  house  of  Nazareth.  I  can  truly  say 
my  soul  is  profoundly  sad,  and  that  my 
Allelujah  cannot  bring  it  the  semblance 
of  joy.  To  my  troubles  and  sorrows  of 
mind  I  join  fear  and  anguish  while  think- 
ing of  your  griefs,  of  the  danger  which  you 
run  in  the  midst  of  this  plague  which  is 
ravaging  Paris,  and  in  calling  to  my  mem- 
ory so  many  who  are  dear  to  me,  especially 
my  sister  at  Nazareth  and  her  children. 
We  are  really  now  beneath  the  Cross,  and 


284    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

we  feel  its  heavy  weight.  Let  us  often  re- 
peat our  Lord's  prayer  in  the  Garden  of 
Olives.  But  in  charity  soothe  my  suffer- 
ings in  telling  me  about  your  own.  I 
would  rather  know  than  be  ignorant  of 
them,  and  I  hope  that  God  will  give  me 
grace  to  be  resigned  to  His  holy  will." 

After  so  much  suffering,  at  last  they 
have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  ;  but  the  holy 
founder  is  absent.  Father  Roger  wishes 
that  she  should  have  her  share  in  the  com- 
mon rejoicing. 

"  MADAME  LA  DUCHESSE,  —  You  have 
already  learned,  through  Mademoiselle  Rol- 
lat,  the  kind  reception  I  had  on  my  arrival 
at  Montmirail,  from  all,  even  the  inhabit- 
ants, but  most  particularly  from  the  fam- 
ily at  Nazareth,  who,  without  distinction 
of  person  or  rank,  religious  and  pupils, 
rushed  in  a  body  to  meet  me  in  the  court- 
yard, and  expressed  their  joy  in  such  a 
sweet  way,  so  respectful  and  so  reserved, 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    285 

that  I  recognized  the  peace  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  and  was  affected  and  edified  by  it. 
What  a  comfort  it  is  to  a  father  to  meet, 
after  long  absence,  his  dear  children  in  the 
Lord !  .  .  .  .  The  next  day  was  celebrated, 
as  was  right,  by  a  solemn  mass  in  honour  of 
Saint  Joseph,  and  by  that  joyful  merriment 
which  belongs  to  a  great  holiday.  May 
all  the  good  that  you  have  done  in  this 
house  come  back  to  you,  Madame  la 
Duchesse,  and  to  your  excellent  family  !  " 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HOPES    AND    FAMILY    GRIEFS. 

WHILST  the  pious  duchess  scattered 
abroad  the  charm  and  perfumes  of  virtue 
in  all  her  relations  and  acts  of  life,  the 
Duke  of  Doudeauville,  since  his  return 
from  emigration,  pursued,  amid  political 
commotions,  a  career  of  devotion  to  his 
country  and  to  the  cause  of  the  unfortu- 
nate. By  turns,  and  at  times  simultane- 
ously, president  of  the  Council  General  of 
the  Marne  and  director  of  the  Committee 
of  Primary  Instruction  of  the  Seine,  he 
sits  in  the  Chamber  of  Peers,  and  takes  his 
place  amongst  the  managers  of  the  deaf 
and  dumb  institutions  and  the  hospitals  of 
Paris  ;  he  embraces  in  his  sympathy  every 
kind  of  suffering,  and  flies  to  the  succour 
of  the  poor,  the  aged,  and  the  orphan. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    287 

Being  nominated  Postmaster-general  in 
1821,  afterwards  Minister  of  State,  and 
member  of  the  Privy  Council,  he  becomes 
in  1824  Minister  of  the  King's  Household. 
It  was  the  position  that  suited  his  character 
best,  and  it  got  him  opportunity  of  aiding 
thousands  of  sufferers.  Amid  his  multi- 
farious occupations,  which  all  had  to  do 
with  the  welfare  of  the  nation,  he  took 
upon  himself  the  duty  of  presiding  over 
the  sessions  where  the  poor  petitioners 
were  heard.  Once,  seeing  him  spent  with 
fatigue  and  teased  with  fever,  people  ad- 
vised him  to  forego  this  self-imposed  task. 
"It  is  not  indispensable  that  my  health 
should  be  preserved,"  he  answered,  "  but  it 
is  that  the  unfortunate  should  not  be  kept 
waiting." 

His  kindness  of  heart  was  never  weak- 
ness,  however,  and  if  he  were  eager  to 
oblige,  it  was  never  at  the  expense  of  a 
firm,  just,  and  clear  conscience.  He  greatly 
appreciated  the  care  given  to  education, 


288    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

and  felt  all  the  weight  of  this  heavy  re- 
sponsibility. Having  the  chief  direction 
of  the  pages,  he  discovered,  with  great 
pain,  that  the  innocence  of  the  new-com- 
ers was  in  danger  from  some  of  the  older 
pages.  Immediately,  without  consideration 
for  name  or  position,  he  sends  away  the 
culprits,  and  resists  their  supplications  as 
well  as  the  warnings  that  he  will  incur  the 
royal  displeasure.  This  is  his  account  of 
his  interview  with  Charles  X. :  — 

"  The  king  called  for  me  the  next  day, 
and  said  to  me,  '  Duke  of  Doudeauville, 
what  did  you  do  yesterday  ? ' 

"  '  Sire,  my  duty.' 

'"You  were  terribly  severe/ 

" '  I  was  only  just/ 

"  '  You  have  lost  five  interesting  children/ 

" '  I  have  only  punished  them  as  they 
deserved,  and  besides,  I  did  it  as  gently 
as  was  possible/ 

"  '  What  severe  punishment  for  a  foolish 
joke  ! ' 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    289 

"  '  A  joke  !  Sire,  such  a  one  as  corrupts 
youth,  poisons  places  of  education,  and 
makes  parents  wretched  ! ' 

"  '  You  should  at  least  have  notified  me/ 

" '  I  had  not  the  time,  for  there  was  not 
a  moment  to  lose,  and  my  responsibility, 
as  well  as  the  morals  of  the  nice  boys  in- 
trusted to  me,  was  gravely  implicated.' 

"  '  If  you  had  spoken  to  me,  I  should  have 
said  to  the  parents,  Your  children  are  be- 
having very  badly,  and  I  shall  send  them 
home  if  they  do  not  conduct  themselves 
better  in  a  month's  time.' 

"  '  Ah  !  Your  majesty  will  find  me  very 
presumptuous,  but  I  congratulate  myself  a 
hundred  times  that  I  said  nothing  about  it, 
for  my  good  youths  would  have  been  un- 
done, and  the  house,  too.' 

" '  For  all  that,  if  such  a  thing  had  hap- 
pened, you  should  have  acquainted  me 
with  it  before  taking  any  action.' 

" '  Sire,'  I  answered,  bowing,  '  I  should 
obey  your  majesty  before  anything  else  ; 
19 


290    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

thus,  when  the  house  is  on  fire,  I  will  come 
and  ask  your  permission  to  put  out  the 
flames.' 

"  The  king  was  good  enough  not  to  be 
displeased  by  my  answer,"  adds  the  Duke 
of  Doudeauville. 

Before  the  fall  of  royalty,  the  minister 
had  thought  fit  to  resign.  Though  retired 
from  public  affairs,  he  was  still  the  de- 
fender, the  friend  of  the  unfortunate  ;  and, 
whether  at  Paris  or  Montmirail,  his  little 
children  and  other  works  of  benevolence 
divided  his  heart  and  time. 

In  connection  with  the  Ladies  of  Peace, 
we  have  spoken  of  the  death  of  the  Abbe" 
Legris-Duval.  This  family  friend  had  gone 
to  sleep  in  the  Lord  in  1819,  deeply  re- 
gretted, not  only  by  the  family  of  the  cas- 
tle, but  by  the  inhabitants  of  Montmirail, 
his  piety  and  kindly  charity  making  him 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  him.. 

On  his  death-bed,  he  had  promised  the 
holy  duchess  to  plead  the  cause  of  her  son 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    291 

and  daughter-in-law  with  God,  for  that 
they  were  so  saddened  by  having  no  child. 
Some  months  after  his  decease,  she  writes 
to  Mademoiselle  Rollat:  — 

"The  viscountess  gives  us  for  the  first 
time  in  thirteen  years  very  sweet  hopes  ; 
one  scarcely  dares  to  believe  in  them,  but 
I  am  full  of  confidence.  I  pray  you  to 
thank  Heaven,  and  to  ask  for  this  child  a 
living  and  active  faith.  It  is  the  prayer 
that  I  make  before  all  others,  and  God  is 
too  good  not  to  hear  me  favourably." 

The  hopes  were  realized,  and  Heaven  was 
generous,  for  the  Viscountess  of  Roche- 
foucauld in  a  few  years  became  the  mother 
of  six  children,  who  formed  a  graceful 
crown  about  her. 

To  the  great  satisfaction  of  their  venera- 
ble grandmother,  their  education  was  in- 
trusted to  Monsieur  Bernier,  a  virtuous 
priest,  capable  of  training  the  gentleman 
and  the  Christian.  The  two  eldest,  Messrs. 
Stanislas  and  Sosthenes,  stated  in  their 


292    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

earliest  youth,  that  this  was  what  they  in- 
tended to  be  one  day. 

Their  best  time,  that  of  the  fine  season, 
was  passed  at  Montmirail ;  all  was  regu- 
lated to  promote  duty  and  pleasure,  and  the 
good  grandmother  looked  forward  to  the 
moment  which  brought  her  little  angels  to 
her,  as  the  sweetest  in  her  day.  Nothing 
could  be  more  touching  than  to  see  them, 
on  the  signal  for  their  recess,  surround  her 
arm-chair,  and  respectfully  kiss  her  aged 
hand.  The  holy  duchess  would  smile  with 
that  indescribable  expression  of  maternal 
tenderness  which  she  always  retained. 

"Well,  my  little  children,"  she  would 
say,  "has  Monsieur  1'Abbe  told  you  very- 
pretty  stories  to-day  ? " 

"  Oh  yes,  grandmother,  very  pretty  and 
very  old  too ;  but  they  are  perfectly  true 
stories ;  perhaps  you  don't  know  them,  or 
maybe  you  learned  them  when  you  were 
little  ? " 

"  Perhaps  I  did  ;  tell  them  to  me.'1 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    293 

And  then  would  come  the  always  new 
story  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  of  Abraham, 
to  which  the  grandmother  would  listen  at- 
tentively, the  more  that  the  little  narrator 
would  put  a  great  deal  of  warmth  into  his 
action  and  omit  no  detail. 

Madame  de  Doudeauville  took  a  partic- 
ular interest  in  the  education  of  the  eldest 
little  girl,  whose  vigorous  and  ardent  nature 
gave  no  presage  of  her  premature  death. 
There  was  such  an  exuberance  of  life  in 
her,  that  the  governess,  while  recognizing 
her  rich  qualities,  was  often  puzzled  to  pro- 
vide for  this  activity,  and  this  imperious 
demand  for  motion  and  novelty.  The  good 
duchess  would  then  interfere,  and  it  was 
curious  to  see  her  sweet,  calm  face  close 
to  the  bubbling  ardour  which  she  tried  to 
quiet,  while  giving  it  at  the  same  time  the 
necessary  food.  The  convent  games  served 
as  .encouragements  and  rewards. 

Next  to  Mademoiselle  Elizabeth  came  lit- 
tle Marie,  whom  a  sad  event  placed  wholly 


294    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

under  her  grandmother's  control.  The 
mother  of  this  delightful  family  died  holily 
in  1834.  At  the  news  of  danger,  the  good 
duchess  hastened  to  Paris.  When  they  an- 
nounced to  the  sick  woman  that  her  mother 
was  coming  to  see  her,  — 

"  What  mother  ? "  she  asked. 

"  Madame  de  Doudeauville." 

"  Oh,  that  one  :  that  is  the  mother  of  my 
heart,"  she  answered,  and  a  gleam  of  joy 
passed  over  her  face.  This  sweet  presence 
seemed  a  safeguard  to  her  on  the  threshold 
of  eternity. 

After  receiving  the  last  Sacraments,  she 
wanted  to  bless  all  her  children,  and 
counted  them.  Noticing  that  one  was 
missing,  she  asked  for  it ;  the  good  grand- 
mother then  had  the  presence  of  mind  to 
cross  the  hands  of  the  dying  woman  on 
the  head  of  one  of  the  children  already 
blessed,  and  thus  spared  her  the  grief  of 
knowing  that  her  little  angel  was  no  more. 
At  the  moment  when  she  was  asking  for 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    295 

him  on  earth,  he  was  preceding  her  and 
calling  her  to  heaven,  having  yielded  up  his 
last  breath  a  few  hours  before  his  mother, 
in  his  little  bed,  which  she  wished  to  keep 
next  to  her's. 

Griefs  were  now  multiplying  for  the  holy 
duchess.  In  1833,  she  lost  her  son-in- 
law,  Monsieur  de  Rastignac,  who  had  not 
married  again  ;  in  1834,  her  daughter-in- 
law,  and  a  grandson  ;  in  1835,  her  sister, 
the  Countess  of  Montesquieu ;  and  a  few 
days  after,  while  still  bathed  in  tears,  she 
was  called  to  shed  more  over  Mademoi- 
selle Elizabeth,  who,  in  full  health,  was  car- 
ried off  by  typhoid  fever  at  the  age  of 
fifteen. 

Each  of  these  losses  made  a  fresh  wound 
in  a  heart  which,  wholly  God's,  was  still  the 
heart  of  the  family.  When  a  twig  is  broken 
from  the  branch,  it  leaves  a  sad  incision 
there.  Father  Roger  understands  this,  and 
the  faithful  friend  sends  words  of  true  com- 
fort to  the  afflicted  saint. 


296    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"MADAME  LA  DUCHESSE,  —  I  unite  my- 
self to  you,  before  the  Lord,  with  all  the 
affection  of  my  heart,  and  share  deeply 
the  sorrows  which  yours  is  feeling.  But 
your  faith  tells  you  that  every  cross  is  a  gift 
from  God,  and  that,  in  a  submissive  and 
resigned  soul,  it  will  necessarily  produce 
an  abundance  of  ineffable  graces,  and  of 
blessings  for  this  life  and  for  eternity. 
You  know  better  than  any  one,  madam, 
what  the  Christian  would  become  if  he  had 
not  this  support,  which  St.  John  of  the 
Cross  calls  the  '  strong  staff/  that  sustains 
us.  It  is  the  Cross  that  has  saved  the  world, 
—  it  is  that  which  preserves  it  in  shap- 
ing the  elect  souls.  It  is  the  daily  bread 
of  the  just,  the  most  solid  food  of  the  real 
disciple  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  more  bitter 
and  sensible  it  is,  the  more  it  is  like  that 
which  our  Divine  Master  and  Saviour  bore 
for  love  of  us.  The  very  sign  of  the  cross 
is  a  blessing,  and  by  the  strongest  reason- 
ing, the  reality  of  the  cross  must  be  very 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    297 

blessing.  The  more  one  is  bound  to  it, 
the  more  should  he  deem  himself  happy. 
I  pause,  madam,  for  it  does  not  belong  to 
the  words  of  man  to  heal  the  heart;  it  is 
the  work  of  the  Comforting  Spirit  which 
is  in  you." 

The  infirmities  of  age  are  now  added  to 
the  suffering  of  the  heart,  and  augment  the 
merit  of  patience.  Father  Roger  under- 
stands and  admirably  touches  upon  the 
privileges  of  this  precious  condition. 

"I  easily  conceive,  madam,  that  though 
in  very  good  company,  your  soul  should  feel 
almost  in  a  desert,  without  the  power  of 
opening  or  communicating  itself.  It  has  an 
inner  language  which  is  not  that  of  the  day, 
and  which  can  only  be  exercised  in  perfect 
silence.  Oh  !  how  eloquent  is  this  solitude, 
this  forsaking  of  the  creature,  this  language 
of  the  heart !  What  inexpressible  things 
does  it  not  say  to  the  heart  of  Jesus ! 

"  Do  not  let  us  complain  of  being  weak 


298    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

and  of  seeing  our  strength  and  activity 
fail ;  our  body  must  decay,  to  tend  towards 
the  dust  from  whence  it  came,  and  whither 
it  will  return,  whilst  the  spirit  should  la- 
bour diligently  to  raise  itself/  more  and 
more  towards  heaven,  which  is  its  true 
dwelling-place. 

"  Do  not  then  think,  madam,  that  you 
are  growing  old.  Do  as  I  do,  who  seem 
to  be  growing  young  :  the  more  we  ap- 
proach the  end,  the  more  joy  and  vigour 
we  should  show.  Our  great  distresses 
should  not  disturb  us,  for  that  is  what  be- 
longs to  us,  —  our  real  attribute  ;  they  are 
absorbed  in  the  Divine  Mercy,  by  the  mer- 
its of  Jesus  Christ,  oui  only  resource  and 
our  only  hope. 

"  We  will  say  no  more  about  our  being 
joined  together  in  prayer,  for  this  has  been 
a  settled  thing  for  a  long  time  past. 

"  Do  you  know  the  other  day  I  did  not 
like  to  leave  Paris  without  embracing  the 
two  dear  children,  Stanislas  and  Sosthenes. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    299 

I  wish  to  add  here  a  word  for  Mademoiselle 
Marie,  whose  little  letter  I  received  with 
much  pleasure.  Providence,  who  has  given 
into  your  hands  the  education  of  this  dear 
little  girl,  will  also  give  you  everything 
which  is  necessary  to  develop  her  happy 
disposition,  and  to  confirm  her  in  the  love 
of  true  virtue.  May  she  always  be  very 
merry." 

This  little  girl,  of  whom  the  holy  re- 
ligious speaks  here,  and  to  whom  he 
addresses  a  word  or  two  in  nearly  all 
his  letters,  had  been,  since  her  mother's 
death,  entirely  under  the  care  of  the  good 
duchess,  who  was  engrossed  in  preserving 
her  innocence  and  developing  her  inclina- 
tion to  piety.  Father  Roger  heard  her 
first  confession,  and  whenever  he  could,  he 
did  himself  the  pleasure  of  explaining  her 
catechism  to  her.  The  good  results  which 
she  got  from  this  had  such  an  influence 
upon  her  whole  conduct,  that  the  kind 
grandmother  abridged  her  conversations 


300    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

with  the  reverend  Father,  that  he  might 
give  a  bit  more  of  his  time  to  his  little  girl 
In  the  chapel  and  among  the  poor  the  dear 
child  found  her  chiefest  pleasures  ;  and  her 
greatest  recreation  was  to  do  a  charity. 
When  she  was  entering  her  tenth  year,  her 
Grandmother  de  Montmorency,  thinking 
to  give  pleasure,  sent  her  as  a  birthday  gift 
a  magnificent  cloak  lined  with  ermine  ;  but 
when  they  opened  the  box  at  Montmirail, 
the  child  burst  into  tears.  They  were  all 
astonished,  and  called  her  attention  to  the 
beauty  of  the  garment ;  but  she  said,  still 
crying  :  "  What  good  will  it  do  me  ?  I 
have  a  plenty  of  cloaks  for  myself  already, 
but  I  have  nothing  to  cover  the  poor  who 
are  cold.  Ah,  if  my  grandmother  had 
only  sent  me  the  money  that  this  fur  cost, 
I  should  have  been  able  to  do  a  great 
many  charities." 

Monsieur  Georges  de  la  Rochefoucauld, 
her  great  grandson,  was  growing  up  by  the 
side  of  the  venerable  grandmother  together 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    301 

with  Mademoiselle  Marie.  The  two  chil- 
dren were  nearly  of  the  same  age,  and  had 
the  same  pious  and  charitable  tastes.  They 
were  very  fond  of  each  other,  understood 
one  another  remarkably  well,  and  in  their 
recess  the  question  was,  who  could  dress 
the  little  chapels  best.  To  please  them,  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  castle  would  go  and 
sing  Christmas  carols  before  the  manger  in 
the  parlour.  They  made  pleasant  company 
for  the  good  grandmother,  who  went  over 
her  reminiscences  to  instruct  without  tir- 
ing them.  She  had  many  stories  to  tell, 
histories  of  the  Revolution  of  thrilling  in- 
terest, but  in  which  she  always  put  herself 
in  the  background,  in  order  to  bring  out 
her  relatives,  friends,  and  servants,  and 
above  all,  the  action  of  Providence.  She  re- 
called her  fears,  dangers,  and  privations : 
as  how  one  evening  in  the  time  of  the 
famine,  being  sad  at  having  only  one  egg 
to  divide  between  her  two  children,  she 
had  prayed,  and  had  felt  much  comforted, 


302    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

when,  on  breaking  the  egg  to  have  it 
cooked,  she  had  found  in  it  two  yolks, 
which,  under  the  circumstances,  made  a 
real  meal.  They  hung  upon  her  words  ; 
she  mingled  with  her  narrative  short  but 
telling  reflections,  adapted  to  the  capacity 
of  her  little  audience,  making  them  appre- 
ciate the  usefulness  of  being  able  to  wait 
upon  one's  self,  of  learning  to  be  content 
with  little,  and  the  importance  of  being 
ready  for  every  event. 

The  children  would  interrupt  her  by  a 
hundred  exclamations  :  "  You  saw  all  those 
dreadful  things  !  .  .  .  .  You  had  no  maid  ! 
....  You  suffered  all  that  ?".... 

Who  does  not  know  the  power  of  con- 
trast over  the  young  imagination ;  the  pri- 
vations of  which  their  aged  grandmother 
spoke  seemed  the  more  palpable,  because, 
very  naturally,  the  children  compared  them 
with  the  well-being  that  surrounded  them. 
Then  came  their  indignation  against  the 
authors  of  such  great  evils,  those  who  nad 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    303 

killed  such  good  relations,  —  for  in  the 
Rochefoucauld  family  were  counted  thir- 
teen victims  of  the  Revolution.  To  this  ve- 
hemence the  charitable  grandmother  would 
answer  in  the  words  of  our  Lord  on  the 
cross  :  "They  know  not  what  they  do  ;"  and 
she  would  add,  humbly :  "  My  children,  if 
the  good  God  had  not  helped  me,  I  should 
have  done  even  as  they."  Whilst  Made- 
moiselle Marie,  grave  and  sweet,  struggled 
to  understand  how  she  who  was  goodness 
personified  could  ever  have  been  so  wicked, 
Monsieur  Georges,  less  serious  than  his 
cousin,  would  laugh  roguishly,  and  taking 
advantage  of  his  grandmother's  blindness, 
would  make  signs  to  the  others  that  he  did 
n't  believe  a  word  of  it ;  but  from  time  to 
time,  to  cheer  the  conversation,  when  some 
new  crime  was  spoken  of,  he  would  say: 
"  You  would  have  been  capable  of  doing  the 
same  thing,  would  n't  you,  grandmother  ? " 
Delighted  to  hear  her  repeat  her  act  of 
humility,  he  would  multiply  his  incredulous 


304    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

protestations,  and  his  gestures  of  reverent 
devotion. 

The  old  manor-house,  which  had  been 
honoured  by  the  long  sojourn  of  Saint  Vin- 
cent de  Paul,  had  now  the  privilege  of  shel- 
tering a  future  apostle  and  martyr  to  the 
faith.  Monsieur  Olivaint,  tutor  to  Mon- 
sieur Georges,  was  now  beginning  with 
modest  gravity  and  intelligent  devotion,  his 
mission  to  youth. 

That  power  of  fascination  which  made 
the  ministry  of  the  fervent  Jesuit  so  fruit- 
ful, was  very  happily  felt  during  his  stay  in 
Montmirail :  the  soul  of  all  good  works,  he 
organized  there  the  Society  of  Saint  Vin- 
cent de  Paul.  Such  a  character  soon  won 
the  esteem  and  admiration  of  the  pious 
duchess,  while  he  experienced  in  her  pres- 
ence the  respect  that  holiness  induces. 
This  holiness  was  to  go  on  growing  to  the 
end,  and  to  nourfsh  itself  at  the  fountain 
of  sacrifice ;  the  death  of  Father  Roger, 
which  happened  in  1839,  while  depriving 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    305 

Madame  de  Doudeauville  of  an  excellent 
friend  and  experienced  guide,  also  took  from 
her  her  powerful  auxiliary  in  the  foundation 
at  Nazareth. 

She  had  to  make  a  great  act  of  faith, 
that  she  might  not  tremble  for  the  future 
of  a  little  society  hardly  formed.  The  holy 
religious,  a  fortnight  before  his  death,  had 
written  to  her  the  following  letter :  — 

"  MADAME  LA  DUCHESSE,  —  I  must  in- 
demnify myself  for  having  been  so  long 
without  writing  to  you,  but  it  would  be  dif- 
ficult for  me  to  tell  you  all  I  should  like 
at  this  moment.  So  many  things  come 
into  the  mind  at  the  end  of  one  year,  and 
the  beginning  of  another !  As  there  is 
nothing  stable  in  this  lower  world,  and  as 
the  greater  part  of  mankind,  even  Chris- 
tians, find  only  those  things  fortunate  that 
affect  their  temporal  affairs  favourably,  I 
see  very  few  who  flatter  themselves  that 
the  year  has  been  in  accordance  with  their 

20 


306    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

wishes.  For  me,  while  seeing  ground  for 
alarm  and  fears,  I  do  not  give  up  the  hope 
of  having  a  truly  good  year,  and  I  wish 
you  the  same.  Your  soul,  madam,  is  too 
firmly  established  in  the  way  of  faith,  and 
in  the  love  of  the  divine  will,  for  you  not  to 
find  all  things  very  good.  What  new  hap- 
piness does  the  Holy  Family  prepare  for 
us  this  year  ?  It  is  a  secret,  but  whatever 
it  be,  it  will  be  great,  for  it  will  be  in  the 
ordering  of  Providence,  and  it  will  turn  to 
the  good  of  your  dear  Nazareth." 

The  good  duchess  needed  to  have  learned 
to  judge  quite  differently  from  the  world, 
in  order  to  bear  the  trials  that  succeeded  ; 
the  charming  child  whose  precocious  holi- 
ness was  her  comfort,  attacked  by  a  linger- 
ing but  incurable  disease,  after  having 
given  edification  to  her  family  and  all  the 
servants,  passed  away  piously  on  the  day  of 
the  feast  of  the  Immaculate  Conception. 

A  letter  from  Mother  Rollat  gives  us 
some  precious  details  of  this  death* 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    307 

"Poor  little  Marie  yielded  to  her  long 
sickness  on  the  8th  of  December.  She 
died  as  she  had  lived,  with  the  piety  and 
sweetness  of  an  angel.  Her  happiness  is 
not  doubtful ;  even  her  present  happiness 
is  hardly  so  ;  but  nevertheless  pray  and  ask 
prayers  for  her,  for  we  do  not  know  the 
judgments  of  God.  She  received  the  Holy 
Viaticum  twice,  and  Extreme  Unction  on 
the  evening  before  her  death,  and  all  with 
perfect  consciousness  up  to  the  last  mo- 
ment She  kissed  with  touching  tenderness 
the  true  cross  and  the  medal  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  A  little  before  her  death,  they  had 
placed  near  her  bed  a  statue  of  that  dear 
mother ;  she  gazed  at  it  with  an  ineffable 
smile ;  all  at  once,  as  if  ravished  in  ecstasy 
she  cried,  holding  out  her  arms  to  the  holy 
image,  '  Ah,  how  beautiful  she  is  !  How 
beautiful  she  is  ! '  Then,  moving  her  lips  to 
pronounce  the  name  of  Mary,  she  breathed 
her  last.  They  kept  her  for  twenty-four 
'hours,  the  face  uncovered,  and  she  remained 


308    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucaiild. 

as  beautiful  as  an  angel.  After  taking  her 
to  the  parish  church,  they  brought  her  to 
our  own  to  be  deposited  in  the  family  tomb. 
In  spite  of  the  weight  of  the  leaden  coffin, 
the  congregation  of  religious  would  not 
give  to  others  the  consolation  of  carrying 
it.  All  the  town  followed  ;  there  had  to  be 
guards  at  the  door  of  our  chapel,  the  court 
and  even  the  main  road  being  crowded.  The 
family  wished  no  ceremony  ;  the  public  grief 
and  lament  of  the  poor  were  more  touch- 
ing and  beautiful  than  you  can  imagine. 

"  Madame  la  Duchesse  is  to  be  admired 
for  the  courage  with  which  she  bears  a,  to 
her,  irreparable  loss.  This  child  was  the 
delight  of  her  life,  and  the  object  of  her 
constant  occupation.  She  stayed  by  her 
bed  until  the  last  breath,  without  shedding 
a  tear,  without  the  least  sign  of  weakness  ; 
then,  having  prayed,  she  went  peacefully  to 
mass  and  made  her  communion.  It  was 
only  when  her  two  little  grandsons,  Mon- 
sieur Stanislas  and  Monsieur  Sosthenes 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    309 

threw  themselves  into  her  arms  as  she 
came  back  from  service,  that  she  could 
weep." 

To  crown  all  these  trials,  the  Lord  called 
to  Himself,  on  the  2d  of  June,  1841,  the 
honourable  and  virtuous  Duke  de  Dou- 
deauville.  For  two  years  he  had  suffered 
with  heroic  patience  acute  and  almost  con- 
stant pain,  using  the  small  intervals  which 
his  disease  allowed  him,  to  interest  himself 
for  the  poor,  and  all  that  concerned  the 
good  of  the  country. 

His  uprightness,  devotion,  and  pious  res- 
ignation had  impressed  upon  his  face,  worn 
with  illness,  a  truly  patriarchal  stamp  ;  one 
felt  himself  before  a  man  of  virtue. 

As,  during  the  last  months  of  his  illness, 
he  could  not  go  to  church,  Monseigneur, 
the  Bishop  of  Chalons  had  authorized  the 
ordinary  at  Nazareth  to  celebrate  the  Holy 
Sacrifice  every  Sunday  in  the  chamber  of 
the  noble  old  man.  It  was  a  favour  which 
he  appreciated,  who  in  the  midst  of  the 


310   Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

greatest  occupation,  had  made  out  a  list 
of  the  benedictions  given  in  the  churches  of 
Paris,  in  order  to  be  able  to  receive  every 
day  in  the  week  a  benediction  of  the  Holy 
Sacrament.  He  whom  he  had  loved  to 
visit  came  now  to  visit  him,  and  entirely 
given  up  to  the  happiness  of  this  Presence, 
he  took  no  more  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
this  world.  Thus,  when  the  good  duchess, 
to  whom  he  had  often  expressed  the  desire 
of  seeing  his  son  marry  for  second  wife 
Mademoiselle  Vertillac,  came  to  tell  him 
the  happy  conclusion  of  this  marriage  plan, 
he  stopped  her  by  a  sign,  and  said  to  her 
distinctly,  "  I  wish  to  know  nothing  more 
of  the  things  of  earth." 

It  was  with  this  sentiment  of  lively  faith 
that  he  received  the  last  sacraments.  The 
entire  population  crowded  to  honour  his 
funeral  service,  and  do  homage  to  a  gen- 
erous benefactor. 


CHAPTER  X. 

REST   IN    GOD. 

WE  approach  the  end  of  this  long  ex- 
istence, where  fidelity  grew  with  trial,  and 
love  with  fidelity.  Before  seeing  it  close, 
calm  and  serene,  according  to  the  promise 
of  Holy  Scripture,  like  the  evening  of  a 
beautiful  day,  we  wish  to  reproduce  a  por- 
trait sketched  by  friendship,  and  preserved 
among  the  family  relics. 

"  In  the  old  Castle  of  Montmirail  lives 
the  octogenarian  whom  all  approach  with 
veneration.  Age  has  not  changed  her  reg- 
ular, noble,  imposing  features  ;  it  has  but 
added  to  the  majesty  of  this  fine  face;  it 
has  only  replaced  the  charms  of  youth  by 
those  of  grace  and  virtue. 

"Strangers  admitted  to  the  antique 
manor  ;  all  you  who  approach  with  emotion 


312    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

the  lady  of  the  mansion  ;  you  who  know  the 
purity,  the  uprightness  of  this  long  life,  so 
well  filled  by  the  accomplishment  of  every 
duty  and  the  exercise  of  all  the  virtues,  — 
you  are  ambitious  of  the  honour  of  pressing 
your  lips  to  that  venerable  hand  which  has 
only  opened  to  give  or  bless  ;  this  hand,  on 
which  children  and  grandchildren  come  to 
put  their  kisses,  ....  but  your  emotion 
is  doubled  when  you  see  that  this  expres- 
skm  of  respect  and  tenderness  is  the  only 
sign  now  by  which  the  old  lady  can  rec- 
ognize her  son  and  grandsons.  Sight  is 
lacking  to  this  lovely  soul,  for  the  expres- 
sion of  benevolence  and  kindness. 

"  If  the  fine  eyes  of  the  Duchess  of  Dou- 
deauville  have  ceased  to  see  the  light,  her 
mind  is  clear-sighted,  and  her  intellectual 
faculties  have  kept  their  youth.  Born  with 
a  very  lively  imagination,  and  a  very  ardent 
soul,  her  reason  has  always  been  so  power- 
ful, that  she  early  learned  to  modify  and 
restrain  her  flights  of  impulse. 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.  3 1 3 

"  If  her  severity  was  ever  great  towards 
all  that  was  not  perfectly  pure,  elevated, 
worthy,  and  Christian,  she  had  for  the  sin- 
ner whom  she  was  trying  to  bring  home, 
extreme  indulgence,  one  might  almost  say, 
a  particular  charm. 

"  Her  exterior  is  calm  ;  but  her  words 
are  full  of  warmth  and  enthusiasm  when 
she  addresses  those  she  loves,  or  indeed 
the  unhappy  whom  she  would  comfort. 

"  She  had  successes  without  having 
sought  them  ;  admirers  without  deigning  to 
receive  their  homage  ;  she  has  sometimes 
excited  envy,  but  neither  calumny  nor  slan- 
der has  ever  dared  to  attack  her ;  for  the 
excessive  severity  that  she  practised  to- 
wards herself  did  not  hinder  her  from 
judging  others  with  charity.  Who  could 
have  wished  then  to  look  for  the  weak  side 
of  so  fine  a  character  ?  .  .  .  . 

"It  was  in  religion  that  all  the  force  of 
her  soul  took  refuge  ;  it  is  to  religion  that 
she  owed  the  lessons  which  enabled  her  to 


314    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

walk  with  a  firm  step  to  the  end  of  her 
honourable  life 

"  The  rudest  trials,  during  the  horrors  of 
the  Revolution,  put  to  the  test  her  heroic 
courage,  whilst  neither  threat  nor  danger 
could  make  her  yield  or  draw  back  one 
step.  She  compelled  those  who  were  about 
to  send  her  to  the  scaffold,  to  admire  her. 
The  most  cruel  sufferings  impaired  her 
health,  without  being  capable  of  shaking 
her  resignation. 

"The  Duchess  of  Doudeauville  has  even 
more  loving  kindness  than  sweetness,  and 
her  heart  is  very  tender,  though  her  sen- 
sitiveness has  nothing  feminine.  If  she 
has  never  sought  to  shine  in  the  world, 
to  make  up  for  it,  she  is  the  charm  of  her 
intimate  circle. 

"  Her  mind  is  universally  just,  and  her 
judgments  are  always  based  on  considera- 
tions of  a  superior  order. 

"  She  is  fond  of  serious  reading ;  an  ele- 
vated mind  attracts  her,  a  generous  senti- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    3 1 5 

ment  touches  her,  and  misfortune  elicits  all 
her  sympathy. 

"That  is  the  Duchess  of  Doudeauville, 
with  certain  contrasts  of  character,  of  mind 
and  heart,  in  addition,  which  give  the  more 
piquancy  to  her  personality. 

"  May  this  model  woman,  so  worthy  of 
admiration,  be  long  spared  to  those  who 
love  and  venerate  her,  for  the  edification 
and  example  of  the  world  !  " 

Between  these  grand  lines,  so  admirably 
drawn,  let  us  read  above  everything  else, 
the  saint ;  let  us  not  forget  that  faith  and 
love  of  God  have  put  into  exercise  all  the 
faculties  of  a  superior  nature,  which,  with- 
out the  compass  of  religion,  might  have 
wandered  into  vain  theories,  like  so  many 
others,  and  whose  life  might  have  run  out 
in  unfruitfulness,  whilst  dreaming  of  the 
most  generous  devotion.  How  many  good 
works  ;  how  many  souls  saved  through  her 
medium  !  What  constant  edification  there 
has  been  for  all  who  came  near  her  !  One 


3 1 6    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

might  say  that  every  step  has  been  marked 
by  a  good  deed.  Do  not  let  us  deceive 
ourselves  ;  grace  alone  can  effect  such  mir- 
acles, and  to  be  such  as  she  to  the  very 
end,  without  ever  contradicting  one's  self,  a 
pattern  of  duty  and  apostle  of  love,  one 
must  know  well  how  to  draw  strength  from 
the  source  of  holiness  and  infinite  goodness. 
It  was  by  prayer,  by  habitual  prayer,  that 
this  woman  filled  her  soul  with  the  treas- 
ures which  she  poured  out  about  her ;  this 
was  the  secret  of  her  power.  Prayer,  union 
with  God,  the  understanding  of  sacrifice, 
this  is  what  made  her  invincible.  Thanks 
be  to  God,  the  spiritual  life  knows  no  pause  ; 
the  soul  goes  on  always  mounting,  —  de- 
taching itself  more  and  more  from  earthly 
ties ;  all  conspires  towards  the  great  work, 
whose  merit  grows  in  proportion  as  the 
will  has  greater  efforts  to  make,  and  finds 
itself  less  seconded  by  nature. 

Now  that  the  duchess  can  do  no  more, 
actively,  her  heart  makes  up  for  the  lack  of 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    3 1 7 

everything.  Condemned  to  physical  pow- 
erlessness,  she  likes  to  keep  herself  in  con- 
tinual dependence,  not  only  upon  the  di- 
vine will,  but  also  upon  the  creature. 

How  many  times,  when  eager  to  hear 
letters  read  which  bring  her  very  dear 
news,  has  she  repressed  this  natural  im- 
pulse and  waited  patiently  until  her  secre- 
tary came  to  offer  her  services. 

She  gets  up  very  early,  and,  not  to  dis- 
turb the  household,  she  walks,  leaning  on 
the  arm  of  an  old  servant,  to  hear  mass 
at  Montlean,  nearly  every  day.  In  spite  of 
the  injunctions  of  her  children  and  the 
example  they  have  set  of  most  respectful 
deference  towards  the  holy  old  lady,  the 
persons  attached  to  her  particular  service 
have  adopted  towards  her  an  exacting  man- 
ner, which  she  apparently  does  not  notice, 
and  even  encourages  by  her  promptness  in 
submitting  to  all  their  arrangements.  It  is 
not  through  weakness  that  she  does  this ; 
she  has  never  been  familiar  with  them,  and 


3 1 8  Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

has  always  preserved  the  most  perfect  dig- 
nity, but  she  makes  herself  subject,  through 
a  spirit  of  humility  and  mortification. 

This  virtuous  characteristic  is  especially 
remarkable,  when,  at  nine  o'clock  regularly, 
old  Marie  comes  to  the  drawing-room 
to  lead  her  to  her  bed-room.  One  of  the 
habitual  visitors  at  the  chateau,  seeing  the 
promptness  with  which  she  always  rose, 
after  this  summons,  took  it  into  his  head, 
for  several  days,  to  turn  the  conversation 
upon  a  particularly  interesting  subject,  and 
to  make  it  very  animated  at  the  moment 
when  this  good  but  brusque  woman  came 
to  call  her  mistress.  He  did  not  succeed 
in  detaining  her :  one  only  time,  however, 
he  accomplished  making  her  hesitate  for  a 
moment  or  two.  Marie  had  time  to  repeat, 
"  Madame  la  Duchesse,  it  is  nine  o'clock." 
In  getting  up  to  follow  her,  the  holy  woman 
addressed  a  word  of  excuse  to  her. 

When  she  goes  to  the  convent,  as  she 
does  not  wish  to  trouble  the  regular  silence 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.  3 1 9 

of  the  corridors,  she  has  asked  to  be  noti- 
fied when  she  enters  them,  and  this  Marie 
does  rather  roughly,  hitting  her  on  the 
shoulder  several  times,  without  drawing 
any  sign  of  displeasure  from  the  venerable 
duchess.  Far  from  complaining,  she  ex- 
cuses all  this  bluntness,  and  speaks  of  the 
people  of  the  castle  only  to  praise  their 
devotion  and  good  qualities. 

Her  toilet,  while  always  very  simple,  is 
for  all  that  worthy  of  her  ;  she  would  not 
wish  to  sadden  those  about  her  by  the 
smallest  omission  of  the  conventionalities. 
She  has,  however,  a  great  desire  to  be  eco- 
nomical, so  that  she  may  be  able  to  give 
more  to  the  needy.  In  one  of  her  visits  to 
the  convent,  happening  not  to  have  with 
her  her  ordinary  adviser,  she  begs  the  su- 
perior to  tell  her  plainly  whether  the  gar- 
ment she  wears  may  be  mended  again. 

A  poor  woman  seriously  ill,  having  died 
one  day  from  the  consequences  of  a  long 
walk  which  she  took  in  order  to  catch  the 


320   Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

duchess'  carriage,  that  she  might  bring  her 
suffering  to  her  notice,  the  respected  old 
lady  not  only  has  the  three  orphans  whom 
she  leaves  brought  up,  but,  touched  by  the 
frightful  accident,  and  not  being  able  to  see 
for  herself,  takes  care  to  be  informed  every 
time  she  drives  out,  whether  there  are  any 
poor  persons  in  the  neighborhood. 

Towards  the  end  of  1841  this  worthy 
mother  of  Nazareth  and  of  the  poor  had  a 
keen  sorrow  to  bear,  which  again  threw  into 
relief  her  burning  charity.  For  many  years, 
having  given  over  to  her  husband  all  her 
income,  she  had  reserved  to  herself  only 
an  allowance  for  her  dress  and  her  maid. 
It  was  from  this  sum  that  she  stole  her 
charity  money,  wishing  to  leave  no  mark 
of  it.  Monsieur  de  Doudeauville  attached 
his  name  to  all  the  well  known  schemes 
of  benevolence.  "  One  must  give  an  ex- 
ample," he  would  say,  "  when  one  has  a  title 
and  a  fortune." 

The  pious  duchess  saw  him  pursue  this 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    32 1 

course  with  pleasure,  in  accordance  with 
the  advice  of  the  Apostle :  "  Let  your  light 
shine  before  men;"  but  so  far  as  she  her- 
self was  concerned,  she  clung  to  practising 
the  words  of  the  Divine  Master  :  "  Let  not 
thy  left  hand  know  what  thy  right  hand  do- 
eth."  She  liked  particularly  to  help  those 
poor  people  who  are  ashamed  to  beg.  When 
her  husband  rallied  her  upon  the  subject, 
she  contented  herself  with  smiling,  and 
casting  a  look  at  the  Holy  Family. 

As  she  had  seen,  during  the  years  which 
followed  the  Revolution  of  1830,  the  tem- 
poral embarrassment  of  the  house  of  Naz- 
areth (which  would  not  have  been  able  to 
support  itself,  but  that  Monsieur  de  Dou- 
deauville  came  several  times  to  its  aid), 
like  a  provident  and  wise  woman,  she 
wished  to  secure  the  means  of  existence  to 
this  community,  without  encroaching  in 
any  way  upon  the  family  property  ;  for  this 
end  she  economized  privately,  and  put  into 
the  hands  of  her  agent  what  she  called  her 

21 


322    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

reserve  fund,  which  would  end  by  being 
quite  an  important  sum.  The  good  found- 
er had  full  confidence  in  this  arrange- 
ment, when  one  day  her  confidential  ad- 
viser arrives  at  Montmirail,  asking  for  a 
private  interview.  She  begs  Mademoiselle 
Therese  to  go  for  a  walk  in  the  park  ;  then 

Monsieur  L ,  finding  himself  alone  with 

her,  throws  himself  at  her  feet,  and  says, 
sobbing :  — 

"  Madame  la  Duchesse,  before  going  to 
La  Trappe,  where  my  confessor  has  ordered 
me  to  end  my  days,  I  come  to  beg  you  to 
free  me  from  the  obligation  of  restitution, 
on  account  of  the  impossibility  of  my  re- 
pairing the  wrong  I  have  done."  "  What  ? " 
asks  the  holy  duchess,  "  you  have  done  me 
a  wrong  ?  ....  Is  it  only  towards  me  ? " 
"  Yes,  madam,  and  since  that  time  I  am 
deprived  of  the  Sacraments,  and  shall  be 
so  unless  your  generosity  forgive  me  all 
my  debt."  "Rise,  sir,  rise  quickly,"  she 
answers,  with  emotion,  "  I  give  you  what 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    323 

you  have  taken  from  me."  "  But,  Madame 
la  Duchesse,  a  considerable  sum  is  in  ques- 
tion ;  it  is  that  which  you  ordered  me  to 
hold  in  reserve.  I  have  played  at  the 
Bourse,  and  have  lost  all ! " 

The  unhappy  man  had  just  gone  out, 
and  his  words  were  still  sounding  in  the 
troubled  mind  of  the  venerable  dowager, 
when  Mademoiselle  Therese  returned.  The 
face  of  the  holy  woman  was  disturbed,  — 
the  redness  of  her  face,  the  altered  sound 
of  her  voice,  all  revealed  an  internal  agita- 
tion which  she  in  vain  sought  to  conceal. 
To  the  reiterated  questions  of  her  confi- 
dante, she  at  last  answers  by  communicat- 
ing to  her  the  scene  which  had  just  taken 
place.  Then,  stopping  suddenly,  "The"- 
rese,"  she  said,  "I  have  been  wanting  in 

delicacy  :   I  assured   Monsieur  L that 

I  would  remit  his  debt,  that  I  pardoned 
him,  and  I  ought  not  to  have  made  his 
fault  known.  Promise  me  never  to  speak 
of  it  to  anyone  whatever."  She  had  to 


324    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

agree  to  this  to  calm  the  alarmed  conscience 
of  the  pious  duchess,  who,  in  spite  of  her 
assurances,  repeated  several  times :  "  My 
God,  I  have  not  been  able  to  imitate  Thee  ; 
to  reveal  the  fault  which  one  pardons  is 
not  to  pardon  graciously." 

This  opening  of  her  heart  to  her  com- 
panion comforted  her  for  all  that,  and 
as  soon  as  she  was  convinced  that  the 
secret  would  be  kept  inviolate,  she  took 
measures  to  protect  the  honour  of  her 
agent.  Having  summoned  him  again,  she 
had  him  tear  up  everything  in  his  accounts 
which  had  any  bearing  upon  the  lost  sum. 
She  confided  to  him  the  design  she  had  of 
endowing  Nazareth,  the  great  distress  she 
felt  at  its  being  impossible  for  her  to  do 
it  after  this,  and  for  all  reparation  she  re- 
quested him  to  tell  Mademoiselle  Rollat 
himself  all  that  had  taken  place.  "  It  is 
Nazareth  you  have  wronged,  sir ;  it  is  to 
Nazareth  that  in  the  future  you  should 
give  whatever  you  and  your  mother  can 
dispense  with." 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    325 

And,  regarding  this  error  as  a  momen- 
tary surprise,  a  passing  temptation,  she 
left  to  him  the  care  of  her  moneys,  and 
even  doubled  his  salary,  on  the  plea  of  his 
having  a  greater  responsibility  since  the 
death  of  Monsieur  de  Doudeauville. 

The  stipulated  confession  was  certainly 
made  to  Mademoiselle  Rollat,  who  was  se- 
riously ill  at  the  time,  for  Monsieur  L 

having  asked,  in  the  name  of  the  founder, 
to  see  her  privately,  she  sent  away  her  hos- 
pital nurse,  in  order  to  talk  freely  with  him. 
But  after  the  visit  nothing  betrayed  the 
trouble  which  the  first  superior  of  Nazareth 
must  have  felt ;  nobody  in  the  house  heard 
from  her  mouth  a  word  which  related  to 
this  grave  confidence  ;  and  the  secret,  faith- 
fully kept  by  the  three  confidants,  would 
have  been  buried  with  them  in  the  tomb,  if 
the  unhappy  agent,  again  being  guilty,  had 
not  himself  made  confession  of  his  fault, 
and  of  the  generous  pardon  he  had  ob- 
tained. 


326    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

In  seeing  the  resignation  of  Mademoi- 
selle Rollat  and  her  unshaken  trust,  the 
holy  founder  must  have  comforted  herself 
more  easily,  and  been  willing,  with  her,  to 
commit  entirely  to  the  care  of  Providence 
the  temporal  future  of  Nazareth,  which  she 
had  so  greatly  desired  to  secure. 

The  Lord  soon  asked  a  new  sacrifice  of 
her  ;  she  learned  that  the  illness  of  Made- 
moiselle Rollat  was  incurable,  and  in  the 
middle  of  April,  1842,  she  made  haste  to 
return  to  Montmirail,  to  hold  yet  a  little 
communion  with  her.  This  holy  friend- 
ship, begun  under  pious  relations,  had 
grown  with  the  fellowship  of  labour  and 
sufferings  ;  trials,  sacrifices,  and  contem- 
plations of  the  supernatural  linked  these 
two  souls  closely  ;  thus  the  venerable  duch- 
ess was  sadly  afflicted  by  the  great  sepa- 
ration ;  but,  attached  to  the  work  of  Naz- 
areth for  itself,  she  continued  to  give  it 
tokens  of  her  maternal  care  as  touching  as 
they  had  ever  been,  and  one  can  say  that 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    327 

until  her  last  moment  she  had  a  tender 
solicitude  for  the  little  society. 

But  now  her  strength  failed  rapidly. 
Her  hearing  became  less  keen  ;  she  walked 
with  difficulty ;  exterior  life  receded  from 
her  little  by  little,  but  her  soul's  life  grew 
apace. 

She  had  a  presentiment  that  the  activity 
of  her  intelligence  was  about  to  desert  her ; 
she  prepared  herself  for  this  new  suffering, 
and  said  one  day  :  "  I  have  made  my  sacri- 
fice ;  all  that  the  good  God  shall  will." 

A  little  after,  she  fell  ill ;  an  attack  some- 
what like  apoplexy  reduced  her  to  a  sort  of 
physical  prostration.  Seated  in  her  easy 
chair,  almost  motionless,  one  would  have 
supposed  she  had  no  thought  for  anything, 
if  she  had  not  fully  revived  to  answer  when 
they  spoke  to  her  of  God,  of  her  children, 
or  of  Nazareth  ;  then  she  would  smile,  or 
make  an  exclamation  which  disclosed  the 
vitality  of  her  intelligence  and  her  heart. 

Father  Varin  came  frequently  to  confess 


328    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

her,  and  give  her  the  Holy  Communion. 
One  day,  as  he  was  about  to  go,  having  dis- 
charged his  office,  the  Duchess  of  Roche- 
'foucauld,  stopping  him,  gave  him  a  book  on 
those  of  the  Tyrol  who  had  received  the 
Stigmata  :  "  My  father,"  said  she,  "  what  do 
you  think  of  these  stories ;  are  they  not 
very  miraculous  ?  "  For  an  answer  the  holy 
religious,  raising  his  eyes  to  heaven,  cried, 
"  Ah  !  madam,  for  me  the  marvel  of  mar- 
vels is  to  see  this  woman  of  eighty  years, 
whose  career  has  been  crossed  by  every 
trial,  ready  to  appear  before  God,  and  to 
present  to  Him  her  baptismal  innocence." 
There  came  a  time  when  the  two  holy  old 
people  had  not  the  strength  to*  raise  their 
voices  and  make  each  other  understand ; 
then  Father  Lefebvre  had  to  take  the  place 
of  Father  Varin.  As  the  holy  duchess  ex- 
pressed no  regret  at  this  change,  those 
about  her  thought  that  she  had  hardly  per- 
ceived it,  and  had  not  remarked  the  greater 
interval  which  they  had  seen  fit  to  observe 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    329 

between  her  Communions,  now  reduced  to 
one  a  week.  But  when,  on  a  journey,  the 
superior  of  Nazareth,  stopping  at  Paris, 
told  her  that  she  had  met  Father  Varin, 
and  that  he  would  soon  come  to  visit  her, 
they  were  astonished  to  see  the  pious  in- 
valid join  her  hands,  and  with  tears  in  her 
eyes,  answer,  with  great  emotion :  "  Oh, 
perhaps  he  will  give  me  back  the  frequency 
of  my  Communions ! "  Full  of  regret  at 
not  having  surmised  the  suffering  of  such 
a  privation,  they  begged  Father  Lefebvre 
to  give  oftener  to  the  saintly  dowager  the 
God  of  her  heart,  her  life,  and  her  conso- 
lation. 

A  few  days  before  her  death  she  seemed 
to  rally,  her  strength  revived  ;  they  hoped 
to  keep  her  among  them  for  a  little  longer ; 
but  she,  feeling  her  end  approach,  asked  for 
the  last  sacraments  herself,  and  as  a  prep- 
aration, desired  that  they  should  repeat 
aloud  the  evening  prayers ;  noticing  that 
they  omitted  the  one  she  daily  said  for  the 


330    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

holy  father,  she  asked  for  it.  Father  Pon- 
levoy,  who  was  present  at  the  ceremony  of 
Extreme  Unction,  himself  said  the  prayer 
for  the  dying.  The  expiring  woman  gave, 
to  the  last,  sensible  signs  of  fervour. 

Her  children  surrounded  her.  They 
hoped  to  get  a  word  from  her,  an  ex- 
pression of  tenderness.  The  Duchess  of 
Rochefoucauld,  leaning  towards  her,  said 
affectionately  :  "  Mother,  do  you  still  love 
Zenaide  very  much  ? "  No  answer  ;  the 
dying  woman  seemed  no  longer  to  hear. 
Having  several  times  repeated  the  same 
question,  and  always  without  success,  she 
had  the  inspiration  to  ask :  "  Do  you  love 
the  good  God  ?  "  A  "  Yes  !  "  spoken  with 
strength,  made  it  understood  by  all  that 
from  henceforward  she  wished  to  be  occu- 
pied only  by  thoughts  of  heaven. 

On  the  24th  of  January,  1849,  sne  died 
quietly  at  Paris,  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night, 
in  her  eighty-fifth  year.  Her  soul,  detach- 
ing itself  without  effort  from  its  earthly 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld,    331 

prison,  to  fly  to  the  bosom  of  the  God 
whom  it  had  so  much  loved,  left  to  the 
material  shell  its  majestic  impress.  One 
felt  a  religious  respect  in  the  presence  of 
the  temple  where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
had  so  long  rested.  Children  and  grand- 
children, friends  and  servants,  wept  at  the 
departure  of  the  saint,  the  treasure  of  all ; 
but  each,  amid  his  tears,  said  those  words 
of  the  church  :  "  Blessed  are  they  who  die 
in  the  Lord  !  " 

The  venerated  remains,  being  immedi- 
ately transported  to  Montmirail,  were  de- 
posited in  the  vault  at  Montlean,  near  those 
whose  guardian  she  had  been  here  below 
At  the  approach  of  the  funeral  procession, 
from  all  the  environs  the  people  poured 
spontaneously  towards  Montmirail,  —  or- 
phans, old  men,  entire  families,  who  had 
felt  the  succour  of  the  holy  duchess,  swelled 
a  glorious  cortege.  Monseigneur  de  Prilly, 
Bishop  of  Chalons,  associated  his  personal 
sorrow  with  the  public  mourning.  The 


332    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

letter  which  he  addresses  on  the  occasion 
to  the  chaplain  of  Nazareth  is  a  short  and 
beautiful  funeral  oration,  which  we  wish  to 
reproduce  here  to  close  this  admirable  life. 
"  My  dear  friend,  I  come  to  you,  for  I 
feel  that  you  have  great  need  of  consola- 
tion at  Montlean,  after  having  lost  the  ven- 
erable and  generous  founder  who  was  the 
glory  and  the  chief  ornament  of  the  place. 
If  she  did  not  pray  for  us  in  heaven,  if 
she  had  not  left  us  her  revered  memory, 
the  treasure  of  her  example,  this  loss 
would  truly  be  irremediable  and  irrepara- 
ble. There  would  remain  for  us  only  bit- 
terness and  profound  desolation,  and  we 
should  be  excusable  if  we  gave  ourselves  up 
to  discouragement ;  but  let  us  take  heart. 
Madame  la  Duchess  de  Doudeauville  is 
still  in  our  midst ;  she  lives  here,  she  will 
live  here  always,  her  memory  will  be  eter- 
nal. Ah,  if  we  are  not  all  saints,  nothing 
will  have  been  wanting  on  God's  part,  and 
we  shall  be  without  excuse,  having  had  for 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    333 

so  long  such  a  beautiful  example  before  our 
eyes.  They  say,  and  I  easily  believe  it, 
that  when  Monseigneur  d'Hermopolis  would 
speak  of  Madame  la  Duchesse,  it  was  only 
in  exclamations  of  admiration  and  venera- 
tion ;  he  could  not  express  the  sentiments 
with  which  so  excellent  and  holy  a  person 
inspired  him,  —  a  person  superior  to  all 
those  whose  virtues  we  now  esteem,  and 
whom  we  see,  notwithstanding,  giving  great 
examples  to  the  world.  This  illustrious  and 
admirable  woman  raised  herself  so  much 
above  them  that  she  seemed,  one  can  al- 
most say,  of  another  nature  than  the  chil- 
dren of  men.  As  much  by  the  power  of 
grace  as  by  her  fidelity  in  corresponding  to 
it,  she  was  quite  by  herself  in  the  fulness 
of  all  virtue  ;  in  piety,  gentleness,  friend- 
liness ;  in  amiable  and  lovely  humility  ;  in 
a  word,  in  all  the  qualities  which  transform 
into  angels  the  poor  children  of  Adam, 
to  make  them  in  advance  inhabitants  of 
heaven. 


334    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

"  It  is  a  great  and  inestimable  favour 
when  it  pleases  God  to  give  such  examples 
on  the  earth.  We  should  profit  by  them 
as  much  as  we  can,  and  not  stay  behind 
when  we  see  to  what  degree  we  can  raise 
ourselves,  and  advance  in  the  road  of  vir- 
tue by  constant  efforts  and  daily  labour. 

"  They  will  pray  much  at  Nazareth  and 
elsewhere  for  Madame  la  Duchesse,  and 
they  will  do  well,  for  it  is  a  duty,  but  we 
must  invoke  her  prayers.  I  should  not  be 
surprised  if  miracles  were  done  at  her 
tomb.  As  for  me,  I  shall  often  think  of 
her  in  my  perplexities.  She  was  a  person 
of  great  judgment,  and  a  lady  of  good 
counsel.  Louis  XVIII.  set  a  high  value 
upon  her  advice,  and  consulted  her  often. 
I  shall  do  the  same,  and  shall  be  the  bet- 
ter for  it ;  she  will  always  be  living  for  me. 

"  The  details  which  have  been  given  me 
of  the  funeral  ceremony  were  very  touch- 
ing ;  the  memory  of  them  will  be  pre- 
served. We  shall  recall  the  affecting  fare- 


Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld.    335 

wells  made  to  this  admirable  woman  by 
the  parish  of  Montmirail,  as  they  wet  with 
their  tears  the  coffin  which  is  to  encamp 
among  you  until  the  resurrection  day.  It 
is  a  real  relic  that  you  possess ;  may  she 
cover  you  with  her  protection  !  I  ask  it 
of  the  holy  duchess  for  you  all.  Let  us 
make  ourselves  worthy  of  her  kindness  in 
taking  her  for  our  model. 

"  May  the  Lord  deign  to  bless  Montl6an, 
this  house,  the  work  of  her  hands,  which 
was  so  dear  to  her.  May  this  precious  es- 
tablishment prosper,  and  be  ever  an  asy- 
lum, a  school  of  holiness  and  virtue !  .  .  .  . 

"  The  heart  of  the  daughters  of  Naza- 
reth has  rest  and  joy  in  the  remembrance 
of  her  whom  Providence  inspired  to  create 
their  little  society. 

"Happy  in  finding  in  her  memory  a 
model  and  encouragement,  we  make  but 
one  prayer  over  the  tomb  where  admira- 
tion is  mingled  with  gratitude  :  '  That  pur- 
suing from  the  heights  of  heaven  her  noble 


336    Madame  de  la  Rochefoucauld. 

mission,  she,  whom  zeal  constrained  here 
below,  may  now  intercede  to  multiply  the 
number  of  Christians  who  walk  through 
life  by  means  of  the  radiant  beams  of  the 
faith,  and  that  she  may  obtain  the  grace  of 
fidelity  for  the  humble  religious  family 
which  she  has  so  holily  and  generously 
loved!"  . 


THE    END. 


•  • .  --  . '..      .-.. 

•...'•-'•••    . 
i  •  I II 


